


Paradise Kiss

by capulette



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Byleth has emotions, Character Development, Complicated Relationships, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Glenn and Byleth are best friends, Jealous Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, Manga Tropes, Mental Health Issues, One sided at first, POV Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Personal Growth, Pining, Pining Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Pop Culture, Rating May Change, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Tension, School Life, Secret Past, Secrets, Self-Discovery, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Sylvain and Yuri are pop idols, Tsundere Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Volleyball team, claude is captain, fraldarius brothers play volleyball, high school manga inspired, jealous boys, linhardt plays sport
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capulette/pseuds/capulette
Summary: On his first day at Garreg Mach Private Academy, Dimitri becomes mesmerised by beautiful third-year student, Byleth. Sure, his dream girl may be taken, but that isn’t enough to stop Dimitri from trying to win her heart!Dimitri joins the boys’ volleyball team and befriends some eccentric individuals, like listless secret genius Linhardt and the talented Fraldarius brothers: fiercely competitive “bad boy with a heart” Felix, and unruly, charismatic Glenn. Best of all, guess who their beloved team manager is?Life and love are never easy though. Byleth and her friends’ world of lively days and idyllic friendships draws Dimitri in, but what else will he find there?
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius & My Unit | Byleth, Glenn Fraldarius & My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 54
Kudos: 58





	1. School Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unlikely trio make their appearance. Dimitri meets Byleth for the first time. The many sides of Felix Fraldarius.

‘…just moved here from Fhirdiad, so make him feel welcome. Dimitri, you can sit in the back next to Felix. The one with the scowl.’

There were a few titters at Miss Nevrand’s dry remark.

Pulling the chair out with his foot, Dimitri folded his lanky frame into it, and resumed a comfortable state of dissociation. Unhealthy in the long term, but what did that even mean?

He didn’t even bother pretending to work, because he had nothing with him, anyway. He had just woken up to his father’s secretary, Cornelia, ringing to remind him it was the first day of school and he was late.

At least, she had organised his school uniform. Nothing else though. Lambert would realise that in a day or so, then Cornelia would call to ask Dimitri about his stationery preferences.

…He realised someone was waving a hand in his face. Insistently.

Dimitri’s eyes gradually focussed on the person sitting in front of him. Every curl of golden-auburn hair was meticulously styled. Dimitri reflexively submitted his hand to being shaken energetically.

‘As I was saying, I’m Ferdinand von Aegir. I believe our fathers sit in Cabinet alongside each other. I heard from my father that you would be transferring here.’

Dimitri managed a strained smile before Ferdinand continued, seemingly content with being heard even if not responded to. ‘Felix Fraldarius, Duke Fraldarius’s younger son. My friend may seem… well, I would like to say his penchant for violence manifests mainly in his existential outlook… Say hello, Felix!’

‘Fuck off, Aegir.’

Felix. The first word that sprang to Dimitri’s mind was ‘delinquent’. In a privileged, rich boy sort of way. The latter described the entire male population at this school, though. Dimitri included.

Long, black hair in a messy knot at the back of his head, pierced ears, not wearing a (compulsory) tie, and top buttons of his white shirt undone, revealing the edges of several tattoos. Sharp brown eyes gave Dimitri a once-over before Felix returned to moodily staring out of the window.

‘Linhardt von Hevring. Duke Fraldarius and Count Hevring are members of the Cabinet too. Hmm, could that be the reason for this seating arrangement? I knew there was something strange about the three of us being placed together!’

‘No, you didn’t,’ Felix said in a bored voice. ‘I remember you said something about providence.’

Linhardt wasn’t even trying to conceal that he was fast asleep. He looked to be as tall as Dimitri. His face was framed by dark green hair, a short ponytail at the nape of his neck tied with a white ribbon.

‘Hmph! I’m legitimately unsure whether this can be considered discrimination or not… Would they _dare_ marginalise us?!’

‘Ferdinand, I hope I’m not inconveniencing you. If you must talk during my lesson, please don’t do it at the top of your voice,’ Miss Nevrand’s scathing voice cut him off.

* * *

When the bell rang for lunch break, Dimitri rose to his feet. He felt stifled. Perhaps, he could take a walk…

‘Oh, are you going to the cafeteria?’ Linhardt’s head raised from the desk, suddenly awake. ‘Can you get me a canned coffee from the… vending… machine? Zzz.’ He was back out before Dimitri could even consider saying no.

Ferdinand jumped in. ‘He likes the soy milky latte. I shall request the same - for your convenience! A red bean dorayaki as well, please. I also recommend the cheese dorayaki, though it tends to sell out early. Felix, any requests?’

‘I’d rather go myself.’

Felix didn’t wait for Dimitri to catch up, or turn around to look at him. Why couldn’t they just ask Felix to get their stuff?

…It wasn’t as if Dimitri had anything better to do, anyway.

When they reached the cafeteria, Felix went straight to the wall of vending machines, while Dimitri went up to the wide steel counter, which looked into an open kitchen.

‘May I have one red bean dorayaki, please?’ Maybe he could try the cheese one. ‘…Do you have any of the cheese ones?’

The lady at the till giggled and shook her head. ‘We _just_ sold out, sorry! You are sooo polite~ I haven’t seen you before. Are you new…?’

‘Thank you.’ Polite, sure. Thank the Creator for Apple Pay, because he wasn’t interested in making conversation with the cafeteria ladies. Dimitri turned to the left, making for the vending machines.

There was a girl paying for an armful of snacks at the next till. A curtain of blue-black hair swung forward over her shoulder, concealing her face at the precise second he glanced at her. For some reason, that made him feel strangely… disappointed.

His thoughts were just odd lately.

The coffee cans rattled in the chute. As Dimitri bent down to collect them, someone moved in his periphery.

‘Hello?’ The cool, clear voice made Dimitri’s stomach lurch with a mixture of anxiety and hopeful anticipation. Pushing his bangs out of his eyes, he straightened up and finally saw her face.

She was mesmerising.

Vivid cerulean blue eyes sparkled at him. ‘This is for you.’

Dimitri looked down at her hand in confusion. The words on the packaging: ‘Mascarpone Cheese Cream Dorayaki’… oh.

‘Thank you, but you don’t have to give me yours.’ It was like trying to speak underwater.

A small smile formed on cherry-red lips, and that was all it took for Dimitri to fall _violently_ in love.

She gestured at the pile of snacks she was carrying, but Dimitri couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face. ‘My friends are just greedy. They’ll survive. Please take it.’

After tucking the cans into the crook of his other arm, Dimitri obediently presented his hand. She placed the cold dorayaki packet gently in his palm. As his fingers curled upwards to keep a hold of it, they brushed against her retreating fingertips. The girl didn’t seem to pay particular attention to it, but Dimitri’s fingers tingled; he already yearned for her touch again… Wait, what the hell was he imagining?

‘Thank you,’ he said, wincing at how childishly earnest he sounded.

But that earned him another smile, even more dazzling than the previous one. ‘You’re welcome.’ She had begun to turn away when… ‘Felix, why are you lurking back there?’

A disgruntled Felix pushed himself off the side of a vending machine nearby and slouched over to them. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey,’ she said, a fond, familiar tone entering her voice. ‘Are you coming to join us?’

Felix rolled his eyes. ‘You already know my answer. Anyway, I have to take baby boy back to class now. I’d feel bad if he got lost.’

Dimitri was still computing the fact that Felix knew her. She looked at Dimitri again. ‘Oh, you’re friends with Fe!’

‘No, we just met today,’ snapped Felix. ‘He moved here from… somewhere.’

‘Well, you could introduce us all the same?’

‘You can introduce yourselves! Fucking hell…’ Grabbing a snack from her, Felix stalked off again.

‘He’s such a brat!’ Then she laughed and Dimitri just stood there, falling in love over and over and over again. ‘Sorry for rudely walking away, I should have introduced myself. I’m Byleth. I’m friends with Felix’s older brother, Glenn.’

‘Dimitri.’ He smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while. It was difficult not to when she was laughing and looking at him like that.

She beamed even wider upon seeing him smile. ‘It’s nice to meet—’

‘BY!!! Hurry up!’

‘What’s taking so loooong???’

‘Um, stop flirting with everyone! Gosh~’

‘Who is she flirting with?!?! I WANT TO SEE!’

‘ _I_ WANT MY CHOCOLATE CUSTARD! BRING IT TO MEEEE!’

‘Sylvain misses your cute butt!’

Byleth sighed with a mixture of amusement and chagrin. ‘Sorry, I’d better go feed them. Maybe I’ll see you later, Dimitri.’ With one last smile, she left him there.

He watched her weave through the cafeteria to her laughing, boisterous group. She deposited her bounty on the table to a collective cheer.

While the others scrambled for snacks, Dimitri saw her lips moving as she spoke to someone. He followed the line of her gaze to a tall boy with wavy red hair. He was lounging in his chair, arms folded casually behind his head.

When she moved within reach, he pulled Byleth onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He nuzzled his face into her hair, making her laugh.

Watching them, a sharp, stinging sensation caused Dimitri’s chest to clench.

As if feeling Dimitri’s glare searing into his skin, the redhead looked directly at him. Golden brown eyes locked briefly with ice-blue. The former just seemed curious, then seemed to lose interest. With a playful grin, he tilted Byleth’s beautiful face towards him and kissed her mouth, his thumb caressing the line of her jaw.

Dimitri tore his gaze away from them and walked out of the cafeteria, a storm breaking out in his head. He was angry, frustrated and jealous. He couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before. It was unsettling in its unfamiliarity.

More than anything, he was hurt.

He literally just met this girl. It was completely irrational, but it still hurt that Byleth could be happy without him… Where were these thoughts even coming from?!

‘You were so obvious. That hurt to watch.’

Felix waited for him after all, which was strange considering his previous aloofness. ‘She probably didn’t notice though. Byleth can be surprisingly dense for someone so clever. That’s why she and Aegir get along like— ugh, this is disgusting!’ Felix shoved the rest of the pilfered snack into his jacket pocket.

‘I don’t understand,’ Dimitri began to say.

‘Great. All three of you will get along then,’ Felix said wryly, but he sounded almost friendly now, by Dimitri’s present gauge of Felix’s personality. ‘What don’t you understand then?’

Dimitri didn’t really understand what he didn’t understand, but not really…? ‘What was obvious?’

Felix looked like he couldn’t tell whether Dimitri was joking or not. ‘Well, it’s whatever. I just meant how you looked at By while we were talking.’ Then a smirk crossed his suddenly quite personable face. ‘You blushed right up to your ears. Is she really even _that_ hot?’

Dimitri groaned. ‘She was being nice.’

An unexpected burst of laughter escaped Felix. ‘If that’s how you look when she’s just _being nice_ , I’d pay to see you if… Wait, no I wouldn’t. I’d rather die than see that.’

Dimitri _really_ wanted a cigarette right then. ‘Are you allowed to smoke here?’

Felix shrugged. ‘Never checked. We can give these to the others, then head outside for a bit. Lin will probably come too.’

* * *

‘Felix doesn’t actually smoke. Behind his bad boy with anger issues image, he’s actually a clean-eating, “my body is my temple” jock.’ Linhardt began rolling himself another cigarette.

‘You’re an asshole.’ Felix had led them to a secluded spot between the art building and pottery studio. He had snuck a volleyball from the gym and was setting against the wall of the studio.

Linhardt and Dimitri leaned with their backs against the red brick wall of the art building, watching Felix lazily.

‘You,’ Felix said suddenly, shooting a look at Dimitri. ‘I get the feeling you’re better than you say. Come to practice after school. Recruitment was at the start of the year, but it won’t be a problem if Claude or my brother vouch for you.’

Dimitri admitted he was already convinced. Volleyball would be something familiar. He was feeling quite grateful for Ferdinand’s hail-fellow-well-met introduction. They were an unlikely combination of personalities, but the trio's mixture of directness and nonchalance put Dimitri at ease. He was the kind of person who tended to fixate on social cues, questioning whether people really wanted him around. Linhardt and Felix, at least, gave him the feeling they would say it to his face, if it was the negative.

Besides, a single week lying around unmotivated indoors was already killing him. He was used to pushing his body constantly.

‘Alright then.’

He called Cornelia to ask that someone pick up his gear and deliver it to the school. For some reason, she sounded proud of him.

‘Excellent,’ Felix said, grinning. ‘You’ll be glad you said yes.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading! Comments and kudos are always loved and appreciated xox


	2. Welcome to the Garreg Mach Eagles!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dimitri is introduced to the volleyball team, featuring Holst Goneril and Glenn Fraldarius. Dimitri and Linhardt the dream team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A volleyball chapter to initiate Dimitri into the team.  
> Next chapter: They all go to karaoke!

> **GLOSSARY OF VOLLEYBALL TERMS**
> 
> There are 6 players on the court: 3 in the front row, 3 in the back row. Once the ball is served, the players can go wherever they want.
> 
> _Setter:_ The playmaker: player that controls the team’s offence. They place the ball in the air, so the hitters can send the ball into the opponent’s court.
> 
> _Outside Hitter:_ This player attacks from the left wing. The strongest, go-to attackers, usually score the most points. There are 2 outside hitters on a team.
> 
> _Opposite Hitter:_ Often the most versatile player and strongest defender. They attack from the right wing. On defence, they line up with the opponent’s outside hitter. They are also the back up setter.
> 
> _Middle Blocker:_ Usually the tallest player. They defend the centre area of the net, and move left or right to help block. On offence, they play close to the setter and do fast middle attacks. There are 2 middle blockers on a team.
> 
> _Libero:_ Defensive specialist who subs with a back row player when necessary (usually to receive difficult serves).
> 
> _Ace:_ Basically Felix’s title aha~ According to _Haikyuu_ (the Bible of Volleyball) “the qualities of aces are high mental strength and the ability to act when cornered. The most important ability is having the confidence that they can score even when no one else can.”
> 
> _Spike:_ Hitting the ball with force into the opponent's court.
> 
> _Kill:_ A spike that the opponent fails to return. Attacking team gets an instant point.
> 
> _Wipe:_ Purposely hit the ball into a defender’s hands/arms to make the ball deflect out of bounds. Attacking team gets a point.
> 
> _Float Serve:_ In this type of serve, the ball has no spin. It is difficult to receive or pass because lack of spin makes the ball move unpredictably. It can suddenly move left or right or fall downwards at any time.
> 
> _Quick Set:_ A fast and precise set. Hitter will already be in a fast approach, or already in mid-air. The setter will send the ball precisely to the hitter's hand. Requires accuracy and synchronisation between setter and hitter.
> 
> _Manager:_ Responsible for the team’s wellbeing. They record statistics, support from the sidelines (water, treating injuries). Will sometimes help the team with research and analysis.

* * *

‘If you didn’t live on the other side of the continent, we’d absolutely have tried to recruit you at the end of junior high.’

When Linhardt and Felix introduced Dimitri to the volleyball team’s captain, Claude von Riegan’s cocky, frivolous manner changed instantly. Now Dimitri felt every ounce of Claude’s persuasive charm being concentrated on him, making sure that Dimitri didn’t change his mind. ‘I can’t believe you just transferred without mentioning anything in your application!’

‘I had some personal stuff going on,’ Dimitri said vaguely.

‘Hey, no stress. I figured you had your reasons.’ Somehow, Claude was furiously typing messages without looking away from Dimitri’s face even once. ‘You made it in time for Inter-high qualifiers, even if they’re literally next week.’ Claude gave him a playful wink. ‘Sorry, I have to leave you with these guys. I’m going to go catch our beloved manager. We need her to spend her birthday doing her job, sooo I’d better butter her up in person. Is it cool if I give her your number? It’s easier if she can reach you directly.’ Claude disappeared in a flash.

‘Luckily, your reliable new teammates made it to the Top 16 at Regionals. So we won’t be playing until round 3, which takes some of the pressure off.’ The vice-captain Holst was the most striking player on the team, tall and muscular with short candy pink hair in messy curtains. ‘Getting you on the team will be a massive stroke of luck for us! We need another strong outside hitter.’

‘Well, I’m sure you can guess who our top scorer is,’ Glenn said jokingly. ‘My brother proclaimed himself the ace, but it’s what we all think, anyway. He isn’t satisfied unless he spikes every ball as hard as he can, but it’s his control and speed that give him the edge. A hitter with your strength— I’m fucking keen to see you blow straight past the blocks like you did at Nationals.’

The two Fraldarius brothers were surprisingly different, though less so in appearance. Glenn’s face was less angular than Felix’s. He had blue eyes instead of brown, and had wavy, black hair that fell past his ears. While Felix had a forceful, volatile presence, Glenn seemed chill and relaxed. His ironic sense of humour was definitely less caustic than his brother’s as well. He exuded a casual self-confidence and sureness of himself.

‘I had a feeling I’d seen you somewhere before,’ Holst added. ‘Your school made it all the way to the quarterfinals, right? Having a first-year in a Nationals starting line-up is pretty uncommon. You were impressive! Only Lin here can claim that feat among us. He was our miracle boy last year.’

‘I would rather have provided moral support from the sidelines,’ muttered Linhardt, doing the least convincing warm up stretches Dimitri had ever seen.

‘We like to think we’d have won Nationals last year if Lin hadn’t run out of stamina,’ Holst clapped Linhardt on the back, nearly knocking him over. ‘Claude thinks _he’s_ a tactical genius, but Linhardt is the real brain of our team. I imagine him as this, like, RPG god…’

‘Except I have to move! Well, I made sure to get plenty of sleep in class, so I’m quietly optimistic about my stamina levels today.’

‘How long have you been playing?’ Dimitri was more curious about the listless boy now. Linhardt seemed like the last person to physically exert himself by choice.

‘Since whenever Felix got into volleyball… which is whenever Glenn got into volleyball. The years just blend together. They would make me set to them until I collapsed, ugh.’ Linhardt looked as if the memories alone exhausted him. ‘I didn’t play on a team until this one. I’m still not sure how I got roped into playing… but I haven’t been motivated enough to quit yet.’

‘In other words, he finds it at least mildly interesting.’ Glenn laughed and ruffled Linhardt’s hair.

‘You know, the best part is that _Felix_ convinced you to come.’ Holst gave Dimitri an amused grin.

‘Yeah, I really thought his only friends were the four he’s had since he was a baby. This is a proud moment for me as a big brother!’ Glenn dodged a loose ball that came flying towards his head.

* * *

Hair still damp from the shower, Dimitri collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes. Fragments of the day’s happenings flitted through his mind. It had been a long time since he felt that life might turn out alright… The near future, at least.

Scraps of scenes in the cafeteria filtered in… her outstretched hand… her smile. Byleth.

Being carried along by Felix’s purposeful energy for the last few hours, Dimitri hadn’t been able to revisit that confused, surreal moment with her. As his body grew relaxed, the hazy lines gradually solidified and colours seeped in to fill the spaces. An artist began painting Byleth into existence, slowly and painstakingly capturing details from Dimitri’s scrambled memory. A heart-shaped face, tresses of black hair; a blue mirror-like sheen, fluffy bangs falling over her brows. Dimitri imagined how her fingers might move, tucking the silky strands behind her ear.

Striking blue eyes, framed by long curling lashes… a clear, candid gaze. Just thinking about those eyes made Dimitri’s chest tighten. Did he need medical attention? He assumed he was presenting the physiological symptoms that pseudoscience attributed to falling in love. Dimitri was almost certain he wasn’t dying, so he continued to fantasise in peace. The artist’s brush swept over her exquisite bow-shaped mouth. He watched her sudden intake of breath. Her lips became animated… Byleth was saying his name… ok, Dimitri was _definitely_ dying!!!

Then his phone buzzed beneath the pillow and made him start. His dream-Byleth was vanquished in the space of a blink. An Adrestian number. Who had he given his number to, again?

‘Hello?’

‘Hey, Dimitri. It’s Byleth Eisner. I’m not sure if you remember, but we actually met this afternoon. Is this a good time to talk?

Dimitri sat up in utter disbelief. What… the… actual… fuck…? Was this real?

‘I remember.’ It was impossible for him to forget her. ‘Um, now is fine. How can I help you?’

‘Claude gave me your number. I’m the volleyball team’s manager. I was hoping we could go over a few things together.’

Oh, right. That made sense. And yet, what were the chances?!

‘Sure.’

‘Great! So, most importantly, you need to get a medical done before you can join practice. I know it’s a bit rushed, but qualifiers are next week so Claude wants you at training ASAP. Ms. Charon’s agreed to let you off early last period tomorrow. Just head over to the infirmary and see Professor Manuela. Does that sound alright?’

‘That’s fine,’ Dimitri said, still mildly stunned.

Byleth listed off other things like sending him the paperwork to read over before signing (‘just text me your email address’); how she had emailed his old school and coach for highlight videos and more detailed stats (‘I’ll call them in the morning to confirm’). She had found his stats from the last year’s National Championship already, and game footage that she would analyse for the coach.

Finally, Byleth slowed down and her tone became less formal. ‘I just want to say how impressed I am by what I’ve seen so far. I’m really looking forward to watching you play in person.’

Her praise filled Dimitri with warmth. ‘Thank you. I hope I won’t disappoint you.’

‘Never! Honestly, being around the others for so long; I was expecting something like “You should feel honoured to witness my greatness” or “Thanks babe, I’ll make you tremble”.’ Dimitri chuckled at that. ‘I like that you’re modest, but I hope you’re really proud of yourself too! Anyway, I’ll let you go now.’

‘Thank you,’ Dimitri blurted out in a hurry. ‘I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I assumed the school or team advisor would take care of everything.’

‘It’s no trouble at all. Our advisor, Mr Rangeld, is kind of useless at things like this, so it’s faster to do it myself. But you’re welcome! I’ll see you at practice tomorrow, ok? Good night, Dimitri.’

‘Good night, Byleth.’

She hung up and Dimitri fell backwards onto his pillow again. Byleth remembered him from earlier! Byleth was the team manager. Byleth called him!!! Byleth wanted to watch him play! Byleth said she liked that he was modest! Byleth said she would see him tomorrow! And everyday at practice! Dimitri didn’t sleep a wink for the rest of the night.

* * *

‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BY!!!’

Byleth’s body visibly leapt from shock as the team converged on her. Claude, Holst and Glenn showered her with confetti from their party poppers. Everyone was wearing colourful leis; Linhardt had the honour of placing one around Byleth’s neck. Ashe Ubert looked both shy and proud when he presented the cake he baked for her. A veritable mountain of chocolate that elicited a delighted exclamation from Byleth.

‘To Byleth, our glorious and beloved manager!’ Claude announced grandly. ‘Thank you for always working hard, taking care of us and supporting us! You are our muse, our queen and our goddess!The light of our lives. Happy 19th birthday!!! Take it easy with the cake, now.’

Dimitri couldn’t take his eyes off her. She blew out the little pink candle on the cake, bright-eyed and full of vibrant laughter at the team’s antics. Byleth looked really happy. The others flocked to her for hugs. Someone (Glenn) had managed to force Felix to wear a garish party hat, which made Byleth chortle. Felix was disgruntled by the hat and her laughing at him, but it was clear that he was exaggerating. He smiled when she thanked him and acquiesced to a hug willingly enough.

Dimitri was paralysed with indecision, unsure how exactly to incorporate his body into wishing her a happy birthday. Everyone else was so familiar with her, but he was still a stranger. Being the only one who didn’t get a hug from her would be depressing…

Byleth saved him from this dilemma by opening her arms for him, a cheeky grin on her face. He could tell she had guessed exactly what he was thinking. Feeling slightly shy, Dimitri went to her. He wrapped his arms around Byleth’s shoulders and she hugged him tightly around the waist.

‘Happy birthday, Byleth.’

Her eyes were warm when she looked up at him. ‘Thank you, Dimitri. Would you like some cake?’

The teammate Dimitri needed to synchronise with fastest was Linhardt, their setter. And so, much to Linhardt’s dismay, the coach, Jeritza, decided to put them through a rigorous series of 2-on-2 matches against the players in the starting line-up.

Naturally, Felix wanted to go first. So, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd's baptism by fire occurred at the hands of the Fraldarius brothers. Dimitri revised his first impression that Glenn was the ‘chill’ one. Glenn had to be one of the most incredible blockers Dimitri ever played against. It would happen at that awful point of no return when Dimitri’s hand made contact with the ball and determined its course. Time froze, but Glenn could still move. Dimitri would see Glenn’s smirk as he figured out the play. Suddenly, Glenn’s arms were there, using Dimitri’s own strength to slam the ball straight into the ground. In that way, Glenn used blocks offensively to score, keeping up with Felix’s fierce spikes and skilful wipes.

Linhardt didn’t talk much in-game. Perhaps, he was trying to establish non-verbal communication between them?

‘Oh, that’s a much better way of putting it. I was just trying to conserve my energy by talking less and hoping for the best…’ But Linhardt’s grin said otherwise. In his own way, he spurred Dimitri to play better. If rallies went on for too long, Dimitri had to be everywhere on the court, while Linhardt chilled up near the net. In other words, Dimitri needed instant kills, pushing him to think differently when he couldn’t force the ball past strong blockers like Holst. Then both boys could sigh in relief: the ball wasn’t coming back over the net.

However, Dimitri certainly wasn’t the only one who contributed to the score. Linhardt revealed his talent with float serves, easing through several no-touch aces during the six matches.

When Dimitri commended him on how much practice that must have taken, Linhardt shrugged his shoulders. ‘I like to win with minimal exertion,’ the green-haired boy said, yawning politely behind his hand. ‘I found that if I just score with my serves, I save myself a lot of running around overall.’

Not that everything went smoothly though…

‘HEVRING, STOP DODGING THE BALL!!!’ Jeritza’s frustrated shout carried to them from the other end of the court.

‘No, Holst is too strong. My arms are going to break if I touch the ball.’

Linhardt just ignored Jeritza. Claude and Holst promptly wiped the floor with them.

Their final match was against the strongest duo, in Dimitri’s opinion. He was definitely tired by the time Claude and Glenn walked onto the court, but especially keen at the same time. They had just gotten their first win; against Felix and Holst. In spite of their losses, Dimitri felt something shifting continuously. Every time he spiked the ball, it just seemed to feel _better_ against his hand _._ The sets came where he needed them to, even when he was too breathless to call for it.

Match-ups with Claude had been difficult because he was a skilled setter himself, and a brilliant defender. So now they were up against the best defensive team, as well as the most synchronised besides Holst and Glenn.

‘I’ve been saving my energy for this one,’ Linhardt told Dimitri quietly. ‘My expectations weren’t high for our first day, but I think we’re doing well enough to make it work. Let’s start doing quicks.’

Dimitri felt a jolt of excitement, as well as surprise. So far, Linhardt had been giving him high sets, allowing Dimitri time for a longer run up. A quick set meant Dimitri would already be approaching the net fast or already in mid-air. Linhardt would need to set the ball precisely to Dimitri's hand. He was definitely eager for the challenge, but he knew quick sets often required perfect timing and accuracy between the setter and hitter. They hadn’t even tried it once during the previous games! Linhardt seemed to read his mind and gave Dimitri a nonchalant grin.

‘There was no point in pushing ourselves that hard against the weaker pairings.’ Um, did Linhardt legitimately just call the other pairs _weak_ …? Dimitri was stunned speechless. ‘Don’t waste time by holding back. Just do whatever you want. I’ll get the ball to you.’

Knowing Byleth was watching him was the most incredible high. Dimitri set himself the personal goal of making her forget her task of recording their statistics. He wanted Byleth to keep her eyes on him.

She did.

Nothing had ever satisfied Dimitri more than the expressions of admiration and excitement on her face. Byleth was captivated by his and Linhardt’s thrilling final performance. Sure, she cheered for Claude and Glenn too; but Byleth’s most animated cheers were for him alone. Or so he hopefully told himself.

Claude unexpectedly found himself playing for his life, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

Team Blaiddyd-Hevring claimed a glorious victory. Even Linhardt basked in the extravagant praise heaped upon them, sharing a pleased and slightly smug grin with Dimitri.

Dimitri saw the serious, impassive Coach Jeritza speaking to Byleth, who then came running over to them… smiling at _him_. Dimitri stared at her, breathless, when she reached him.

‘Dimitri… Welcome to the Garreg Mach Eagles!!!’

There was an uproarious cheer. Glenn and Holst materialised on either side of Dimitri, putting their arms around his shoulders, congratulating him and laughing at his stunned expression.

Byleth laughed helplessly at his wide blue eyes too, before proclaiming: ‘It is time for the historic bestowing of your jersey number! Any special requests?’

Dimitri couldn’t help smiling then. ‘Will you choose for me?’

‘Cute. I just told her to pick mine too.’ Felix smirked at him.

‘Hmm~’ Byleth looked thoughtful, then clapped her hands in triumph. ‘I have it!’

‘O, Byleth! She Who Sees All and Knows All,’ Claude called out.

‘7 shall be your number,’ Byleth declared in a mystical voice. ‘’Twas the first number that came to my mind, which is no doubt significant!’ Then she smiled at him again. ‘It is also my lucky number. Did I choose well?’

> **THE GARREG MACH EAGLES NEW STARTING LINE-UP**
> 
> **1** C. von Riegan (C) - Opposite Hitter
> 
> **2** H. Goneril (VC) - Middle Blocker
> 
> **3** G. Fraldarius - Middle Blocker
> 
> **5** L. von Hevring - Setter
> 
> **7** D. Blaiddyd - Outside Hitter
> 
> **9** F. Fraldarius - Outside Hitter/Ace
> 
> **12** A. Ubert - Libero

* * *

> _Name:_ Glenn Fraldarius
> 
> _Position:_ Middle Blocker
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 3
> 
> _Height:_ 185 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 70 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 30th Garland Moon (age 19)
> 
> _Likes:_ Yoghurt, Shōnen Jump
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Bad losers, losing
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘Another victory.’

> _Name:_ Linhardt von Hevring
> 
> _Position:_ Setter
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 5
> 
> _Height:_ 177 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 58 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 7th Red Wolf Moon (age 16)
> 
> _Likes:_ Freedom, sleeping in
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Self-improvement
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘Without naps, life is nothing but work.’

> _Name:_ Byleth Eisner
> 
> _Position:_ Manager
> 
> _Jersey no:_ SeXy
> 
> _Height:_ 168 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 58 kg she legit told us
> 
> _Birthday:_ 7th Blue Sea Moon (age 19)
> 
> _Likes:_ Pudding, her adorable team xox
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Being bound by common sense lol
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘Allow ME to demonstrate!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated xx


	3. Pudding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team go to karaoke to celebrate Byleth’s birthday. Byleth Eisner has sent you a friend request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!

‘I have to be home to cook dinner for my little siblings,’ Ashe explained in apology. He received a barrage of praise at what a wonderful big brother he was, which made the silver-haired boy blush hard.

‘No, thank you. I’d rather go home and sleep,’ was Linhardt’s attempt at a polite refusal.

‘What about you, Dimitri? Do you have plans tomorrow night?’

‘I don’t…’ Byleth’s invitation made his heart stutter ecstatically. ‘I could come… if you don’t mind…’ Dimitri grimaced internally at his stupid, obscure manner of expressing how he felt.

It was almost a physical sensation when her indigo eyes honed in on his own. ‘I don’t mind,’ Byleth replied with a straight face. ‘You’re coming then! We’re celebrating my birthday, after all~ So I’ll be happy if you do.’ Then Byleth’s smile shone for him for the eighth time in the three days he’d known her. Dimitri was keeping count. Getting her to smile for him had fast become Dimitri’s life goal.

Today, Byleth fulfilled Dimitri's generally overlooked desire for pointless reassurance for once in his life. He almost declared his eternal love to her, but divine intervention came in the form of Linhardt, who distracted Byleth by asking her to retie his hair ribbon.

* * *

‘Hey, do my shoulders look too broad in this?’ Holst was an athleisure advocate in patterned brown track pants, a cream-coloured tank and high-tops. He nearly convinced impressionable Dimitri that athleisure was the true pinnacle of modern fashion. Luckily, Glenn averted tragedy by inaugurating Dimitri into the Fraldarius softcore grunge squad of black jeans and combat boots.

Claude was the most distinctive in yellow plaid slacks and a silky, emerald green marble-patterned shirt. However, Glenn asserted supremacy in a narrow-fitting navy pullover windbreaker that was unanimously declared ‘100% heart throb material.’

Linhardt was dismissed. He was in a baggy gray Sailor Moon t-shirt and matching sweatpants, so that he could go directly to bed when he reached home.

Dimitri gave himself a critical appraisal in the fraction of locker room mirror that Claude and Holst weren’t hogging. He decided that his long-sleeved black t-shirt satisfactorily hinted at a better than average chest.

Claude was entertaining himself by cataloguing the things coming out of Felix’s bag and locker in a breathy talkshow host voice: ‘Fódlan’s second most eligible bachelor, Felix Hugo Fraldarius, steps out tonight in the signature look we know and love on him: black slim fit Citizens of Humanity jeans, a white Comme des Garçons tank, his favourite black Alpha Industries bomber jacket, and Stella McCartney gloves!’

Felix shot Claude a withering look that had little to zero effect.

‘Recent rumours citing _variation_ to his hitherto _unvaried_ wardrobe were found to be substantiated! The younger Fraldarius was photographed in handmade combat boots by ethical, sustainable São Paulo-based brand, Ahimsa. A discerning nose identified his new fragrance of choice as _adr_ett_ by Nomenclature. Both are purported to be gifts from a certain young lady… Shit!’ Claude nimbly leapt out of the way, and Felix’s airborne volleyball shoe crashed against the mirror with deadly force.

‘For all his punk aspirations, Felix is the biggest brand whore in this room.’ Claude winked at Dimitri mischievously from a safe spot behind a locker. ‘He also hates thrift shops with a passion, because he thinks they’re for poor people.’

‘Not all of us have grandfathers to borrow shirts from,’ Felix retorted to the captain’s sly baiting. ‘I’d just rather not touch some stranger’s dirty clothes.’

‘Felix. You do know the clothes are laundered first, right?’

‘I don’t care. I prefer to buy my clothes online, or from nice, sanitised…’

‘Boutiques with glass fronts, and differential customer service per class threshold,’ Claude finished Felix’s sentence in a teasing, singsong voice. ‘I will never understand why Hilda likes you.’

‘I don’t understand either! I want her to stop!!!’

‘Sure you do, Fe. Sure you do.’

‘Felix’s wardrobe is probably more ethical and eco-conscious than any of ours,’ Linhardt offered up in defence of Felix’s reputation, to Felix’s chagrin. ‘Hilda’s influence goes beyond gifts these days. I believe she is slowly, but surely, transforming him into a less objectionable love interest for herself.’

‘…Fuck you, Lin. I’m never telling you anything again.’

Glenn capered ahead with a lively gait, humming and dancing around Felix, who looked distinctly unimpressed at having him for an older brother.

‘Glenn takes karaoke very seriously. As in, he literally cannot be stopped…’

‘Not until he loses his voice. Or Dorothea gets sick of him hogging the spotlight.’

‘Last time, she legit had to claw the mic out of his hands!’

‘She even drew blood!!!’ Glenn yelled back over his shoulder. ‘But I’m prepared for her tonight! The wicked hag!’

‘We even have a karaoke system at our house,’ Felix said, his face a picture of extreme distaste. ‘Glenn and Byleth spent all of last week practising for tonight. I don’t know why I’m even coming…’

‘Because you secretly love our sweet, dulcet tones! Oho, you thought I didn’t notice you leave your door cracked while we were practising?’ Glenn slung an arm around Felix’s shoulders, and danced him along. Felix’s brain appeared to be stuck somewhere between dismay and murderous intent.

‘Glenn and Byleth aren't half as bad as Ferdinand and Dorothea. _They’re_ an actual match made in hell,’ Linhardt said with a shudder. ‘Lucky for you, it’s only the volleyball gang tonight. Glenn isn’t a terrible singer either, I suppose. It’s just embarrassing when he gets tipsy and keeps taking his shirt off…’

‘I’m an EXCELLENT singer! Byleth secretly thinks I’m better than Sylvain!’ Glenn proudly declared.

‘That’s Byleth’s boyfriend,’ Linhardt answered Dimitri's silent question in a bored voice. Hearing the words “Byleth’s boyfriend” kind of stung Dimitri’s lovelorn heart. ‘He’s in some actual band… whose name I can never recall.’ The corner of Linhardt’s mouth quirked humorously. ‘Maybe because they sound like shit… or drowning whales…’

Glenn snorted loudly.

‘What… Can whales even drown?’

‘No, Felix, they can’t. It’s unearthly… which was my point, I think. I don’t remember anymore. Well, I’m off.’ With a vague wave, Linhardt practically warped away in his haste to get home to bed.

‘They’re called Ruin,’ Felix picked up the thread of explanation. ‘Lin doesn’t listen to anything that isn’t, like, ambient noise… so pop rock legitimately upsets him. Actually, it upsets me too.’

The sight of Byleth waiting up ahead dispelled all other thoughts from Dimitri's mind. The breath left his lungs in a rush. It was the first time he had seen Byleth out of her uniform, and she completely entranced him. Navy corduroy flares clung to her thighs, a black top revealed a distracting expanse of midriff… Glenn danced over to her and declared combat boot hegemony, but Claude and Holst booed the softcore grunge squad for their conformity.

Chatting animatedly with Byleth was a short girl with bright pink twin-tails. Holst introduced her with a fond expression that instantly outed him as a doting older brother. ‘Dimitri, meet Hilda - my sister, if her hair wasn’t enough of a giveaway. Hilda, Dimitri…’

‘Heyyy~ Wait a minute!!!!’ Hilda’s mouth fell open in an ‘O’ of recognition, although Dimitri was sure he had never seen her in his life. ‘You’re the boy that Byleth was flirting with in the cafeteria!!!’

…What?

‘I think that’s the first time I’ve seen Sylvain get jealous!’ exclaimed Hilda, twin tails bouncing in her exuberance. ‘Well, except for when Yuri won’t stop hitting on By… but that’s kinda different.’

‘That was you?!’ Glenn devolved into raucous laughter. ‘That nearly fucking killed me! Syl’s whole “she’s MINE” alpha move, k-kissed her and— AHAHAHAHA!’

Dimitri caught Byleth’s eye awkwardly and was relieved to see her hiding a smile behind her hand.

‘Byleth was _not_ impressed when she realised why he did it,’ Claude said with an ambiguous glance in Byleth’s direction. ‘Poor Syl…’

‘He just got a taste of his own medicine.’ Holst shrugged, sounding totally unsympathetic.

‘Oh dear! What’s going to happen when he meets Dimitri?!’ Hilda’s eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘He might totally start a fight!!!’

Suddenly, everyone was yelling incoherently over each other.

Dimitri had not expected his altercation with Byleth’s boyfriend (i.e. the fated battle for her heart) to come so soon, narrative-wise. However, the sooner the better, in Dimitri’s opinion. Byleth misread Dimitri’s “death-or-glory” expression as worry, because she came to his side. ‘They’re only teasing. He’s not even coming tonight. Besides, Sylvain is the last person to start a fight out of this hot-headed lot!’ She rolled her eyes at the others.

‘That’s a shame. I was in the mood.’ Dimitri realised too late that he said his thoughts out loud.

Byleth laughed in complete surprise. ‘You sound exactly like Felix— mmmfff!’

‘Come on, let’s go already!’ Glenn plonked a motorcycle helmet over Byleth’s head and fastened the strap under her chin. Then he ushered Dimitri to show off his and Felix’s motorbikes: a custom Indian FTR1200, and a Zero Engineering Type 9, respectively. Dimitri was starry-eyed and praised them in earnest. Glenn and Felix preened, extremely pleased with his response.

‘Fe, why don’t you ever take me on your bike?’ Hilda wore a mournful pout, sadly watching Byleth climb up behind Glenn.

‘I’ve told you already. This is a solo seat. I couldn’t take you even if I wanted to.’

Without waiting for Hilda to respond, Felix disappeared into the growing dusk in a fierce screech of tires. Shouting incoherently through his helmet about dishonour and head-starts, Glenn raced off behind Felix, with a laughing Byleth clinging onto him for dear life.

Glenn was Dimitri’s favourite out of the volleyball team so far, so his jealousy was only fleeting. Claude squished him into the backseat of Hilda’s car, and Hilda— the most terrifying driver he had ever known— sped off in pursuit.

* * *

> _Name:_ Hilda Valentine Goneril
> 
> _Position:_ Manager-in-training
> 
> _Jersey no:_ sh0rty
> 
> _Height:_ 154 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ ~
> 
> _Birthday:_ 2nd Pegasus Moon (age 17)
> 
> _Likes:_ Ethical fashion, dancing, Felix Hugo Fraldarius ♥♥♥
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Bad customer service, effort, responsibility (wtf who hired her???)
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘I’m just a delicate flower~’

> _Name:_ Holst Goneril
> 
> _Position:_ Middle Blocker (Vice-Captain)
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 2
> 
> _Height:_ 190 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 75 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 14th Harpstring Moon (age 19)
> 
> _Likes:_ The beach at night, iced tea, Marie Kondo
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Cruelty to animals, sloppiness
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘This rose has thorns~’

> _Name:_ Felix Fraldarius
> 
> _Position:_ Outside Hitter (Ace)
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 9
> 
> _Height:_ 174 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 62 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 20th Pegasus Moon (age 17)
> 
> _Likes:_ Strong adversaries, spicy food, leaving Hilda on ‘read’
> 
> _Dislikes:_ People who lack self-control, speed limits
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘Stronger. Faster. Never enough.’

> _Name:_ Dorothea Arnault
> 
> _Position:_ Cheer Captain
> 
> _Height:_ 170 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ ~
> 
> _Birthday:_ 29th Horsebow Moon (age 18)
> 
> _Likes:_ The opera, singing, cute small animals
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Arrogant aristocrats (Glenn Fraldarius), talking while watching TV
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘This is MY stage now.’

* * *

‘Why, hellooo~ What’s your name, cutie?’ Dorothea turned from hugging Byleth, and looked Dimitri up and down with a flirtatious smile. ‘No way! Byleth!!! Isn’t this the boy you were flirting with in the cafeteria?!’

‘Get out of my way, Dorothea,’ Glenn said impatiently. ‘Some of us are actually here to sing.’

Dorothea was momentarily distracted. Byleth pushed Dimitri along into their karaoke box and they slid onto the far bench, where a very self-satisfied Felix was already waiting for them.

‘Sorry about the cafeteria thing,’ Byleth sighed, leaning across the table and pulling the iPad over towards them.

‘It’s fine…’

‘Well, _I’m_ sick of it,’ grunted Felix, though he was in a good temper. ‘It’s your own fault for talking to him. And Dimitri, stop being such a fucking damsel in distress! You probably looked at Byleth with those helpless blue eyes, like you did with me. You know what, I blame you both!’

‘Fe!!! I’m here~’ Hilda made her entrance at that moment and made a beeline to sit on Felix’s other side. Felix groaned, but he seemed to be rather pleased all the same. In the meantime, Dimitri was distracted watching Byleth hide a smile behind the iPad. Dimitri was relieved her friends' theatrics weren’t making her uncomfortable around him.

The others eventually trooped in. Glenn and Dorothea were glaring daggers at each other and they pointedly sat at opposite ends on their bench.

‘Would you like to order food with me?’ Byleth looked at Dimitri, who hadn’t realised how hungry he was until she mentioned food. They discussed their options and Byleth’s personal favourites.

‘Ughhh, I can’t make up my mind! There are too many things I like!’ she said eventually and mimed flipping the table. ‘But I also need food fast! My limbs are literally shaking from hunger!’

Dimitri thought she was terribly cute. ‘It doesn’t really matter to me what I eat. So if you don't mind sharing, you can order anything you like. I’ll eat whatever you don’t finish.’

‘Dimitri!! You are so wonderful!’ Byleth looked so amazed and grateful that Dimitri laughed out loud. ‘I refuse to just let you eat my leftovers, but yes please, let’s share! Hmmm~ We _need_ margherita pizza grilled cheese sandwiches! Agreed? Do you like chamomile, by the way? Great!!! We should get the yuzu chamomile soda! It’s really good. And crème caramel is my _one_ weakness…’

‘One of a million,’ Felix said over Dimitri’s shoulder. ‘That’s going straight to your thighs— OWWW!’

‘Stop being so awful on her BIRTHDAY!!!’ Hilda shouted at the top of her voice, Felix’s ear pinched hard between her thumb and forefinger.

‘SAY MY NAME, SAY MY NAAAAME!!!’

> **Destiny’s Child ‘Say My Name’** … BYLETH’S BABY (Glenn, Claude, Holst)

Though he was mostly messing around with Claude and Holst, Glenn really was a brilliant singer. It was incredibly entertaining to watch him put his entire body into performing. Dimitri quickly realised that they were _all_ serious about karaoke. Including Byleth.

> **Frank Ocean ‘Lost’** … Glenn
> 
> **Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa ‘One Kiss’** … Byleth

‘I just want to feel your skin on mine…’

It was definitely the product of wishful thinking, but Byleth’s eyes seemed to keep flickering towards him. Dimitri allowed himself to indulge in the belief that she was singing to him.

More vivid expressions blossomed on Byleth's face as she and Glenn included him in their tongue-in-cheek banter. Byleth’s easy familiarity with Glenn carried over to him too. Dimitri was elated to have her laughing and talking with him like this.

The entire night, Byleth made sure he felt included in everything. As if she was happy he was there with her, and wanted him to be happy too.

Byleth’s much anticipated crème caramel arrived and she held the dish aloft with an exclamation of delight. Then she turned to him. ‘Dimitri! Want a bite?’

The mental image of Byleth feeding him was so enticing that Dimitri opened his mouth instinctively. His heart leapt when Byleth responded unhesitatingly by feeding him a huge spoonful of pudding. Then she tucked in too.

‘Mmmmm!’ she said with such a blissful expression that Dimitri couldn’t help but laugh and gaze at her adoringly. In his periphery, he caught sight of Dorothea and Claude glancing in their direction, and then at each other, but it was difficult to think about anything besides Byleth right then.

‘Ohohoh!’ Glenn’s cackle was the epitome of villainous. ‘Yet again, the speed of my reflexes knows no bounds!’ He cackled some more, flicking through the photos he had just taken. ‘Just adorable.’

‘Show me!’ Byleth demanded through a mouthful of pudding.

‘Only if you feed me too~’ Glenn opened his mouth. ‘OI! BE GENEROUS! I see what you’re doing, you glutton!’

> **Kita Alexander ‘Hotel’** … Dorothea
> 
> **Mura Masa, A$AP Rocky ‘Love$ick’** … Byleth & Glenn

‘Yoohoo!’

Holst and Claude’s manly powers of attraction, and Glenn’s deterring presence, were insufficient to hold Dorothea at bay for long. She materialised with a flounce of cascading brown waves, and slid onto Byleth’s lap with a triumphant smile. Byleth couldn’t help smiling back, while Glenn just glared.

‘You sly thing! That’s enough teasing me!’ Dorothea pouted. ‘Time to tell me all your secretssss. Hi, Dimitri. We were never properly introduced - I’m Dorothea.’

‘It’s nice to meet you.’ Dimitri politely shook the hand she extended to him.

‘Oh, yes! It’s _extremely_ nice to meet you too.’ Dorothea put her arms around Byleth’s neck and got comfortable. Then she gave him a coy look, though he felt her sharp green eyes raking through his soul at the same time. ‘Sooo I may have been stalking you on Facebook while I was over there, but you’re one of those super _private_ types, so I couldn’t even see anything! Sent you a friend request, please accept~’

‘Isn’t it great when Dorothea’s here to do the social heavy lifting?’ Claude brought out his phone as well.

‘I wouldn’t go that far, but I can admit she is useful today.’ Glenn raised his hands in supplication. ‘I stalked you on Facebook too. Sorry, Dimitri, I just couldn’t resist!’

Holst laughed. ‘We all did, the first day we met you. Claude called it a team bonding exercise.’

‘I’m really sorry, but so did I.’ Byleth said with a playful smile, not looking at all sorry. ‘But only in my official capacity as your manager!’

‘ _I_ didn’t.’ Felix made sure to distinguish himself from the rest.

Everyone looked up from their phones with cheeky grins. Remembering the existence of his own, Dimitri took it out to see a series of notifications pop up one after the other.

_Dorothea Arnault has sent you a friend request._

_Claude von Riegan has sent you a friend request._

_Holst Goneril has sent you a friend request._

_Glenn Fraldarius has sent you a friend request._

_Hilda Valentine Goneril has sent you a friend request._

_Byleth Eisner has sent you a friend request._

‘Felix is too cool for us. He never sends friend requests, only accepts them!’

> **Manuela Casagranda ‘Mo Men Mo Problems’** … Dorothea

‘Did you know Professor Manuela used to be opera royalty? Apparently she was the senior diva of the Mittelfrank Opera Company a few years ago,’ Holst called to Dimitri from across the table.

‘We’re pretty sure lovely Professor Manuela is in love with Glenn,’ Claude joined in. ‘Ever since last year, when he passed by the infirmary and heard her singing to herself. Of course, lover boy over here decided to stick his head in the door and join in!’

‘Professor Manuela is Dorothea’s idol, you see,’ explained Hilda.

‘That’s the real reason why Glenn and Dorothea are mortal enemies,’ Holst said cheerfully. ‘It’s our favourite ongoing soap opera!’

> **Flight Facilities, Giselle ‘Crave You’** … Hilda

Hilda climbed up onto the table and did a sexy dance in front of Felix. Felix’s face was so shocked and pink with embarrassment that Glenn and Holst cried of laughter.

> **Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd ‘Lust for Life’** … Claude & Dorothea
> 
> **benny blanco, Halsey, Khalid ‘Eastside’** … Byleth & Glenn

‘By the way, who is this Marianne von Edmund in your profile picture, hmmmmm?’ Glenn raised his eyebrows at Dimitri in a suggestive manner.

Dimitri’s heart sank.

It wasn’t even that he was a “private” person, he was just almost never on social media in the first place. Changing his Facebook profile picture was something that had never even occurred to him, with everything that had happened in the past few months. His relationship with Marianne had sort of died of its own accord. They officially ended things when he learned he was leaving Fhirdiad, but they had probably been done long before then.

Which may be why he couldn’t feel guilty about forgetting her so quickly. There was no rationale for it, but all Dimitri could feel at that instant was dismay that Byleth had seen the photo of them. If she thought he was with someone else, she would be even less likely to consider him…

‘We’re not together anymore,’ Dimitri tried to explain to Byleth, despite her not asking the question. ‘We haven’t been together for ages. I just forgot about that photo…’

She seemed bemused by his apologetic tone, but then her eyes grew wide. ‘Oh nooo! I’m so sorry, Dimitri! I just liked that photo!’

‘Wow! Well done, By! This photo’s from over a year ago. You’re literally that aunt who just goes and likes people’s awkward old shit!’ Glenn howled with laughter at her horrified expression. ‘And your notification is about to torture poor Marianne von Edmund by taking her to a happy photo… WITH HER EX!!!’

‘That’s not even funny, jerk!’ Dorothea snapped, but Glenn only laughed harder.

‘Probably wasn’t _that_ happy,’ Felix’s snarky voice reached Dimitri through his panicked haze. ‘She looks like a big fucking downer…’

And then everyone was shouting at Felix instead.

‘Felix, that’s so rude!!!’ Hilda was in shock. ‘You totally might have hurt Dimitri’s feelings right now!’

‘I thought you said you didn’t stalk Dimitri.’ Claude was positively gleeful at having caught Felix out.

‘…I just saw the photo when Ferdinand was looking him up, alright?!’

‘If you say so~’

‘You disappoint me, Fe,’ Glenn spluttered through another spasm of laughter. ‘You can’t say things like that about Dimitri’s girlfr… ex-girlfriend.’

‘But it’s true! Dimitri, serious question: as a percentage, how often did she look like that versus _not_ look like that? OWWW!!! Goneril, I thought you LIKED me! Fucking stop HURTING ME!’

‘I think she’s pretty…’ Byleth started to say.

‘Shut up, By!!! You have shit taste in men _and_ women! No one wants to know what you think!’

Glenn dove across the table in a heroic attempt to defend Byleth’s honour, then flailed ungracefully as he landed on top of Felix, Hilda and Dimitri.

In a rare display of her secret strength, Hilda saved Glenn from death by fratricide.

‘It’s time for my VERY SPECIAL birthday performance for my VERY SPECIAL BEST FRIEND!!!’

‘Oh no,’ Byleth murmured in an undertone.

With a loud shriek, Dorothea was unceremoniously ousted from Byleth’s lap. Glenn pulled Byleth to the chair that sneakily materialised at the front of the room.

As Linhardt had foretold, Glenn’s shirt was thrown into the audience and caught by Claude. Loud catcalls erupted from Claude and Holst, excited screams and cheers from Hilda, and half-hearted hisses from Dorothea, who was absolutely checking Glenn out in spite of their vendetta.

Felix just sighed in embarrassed resignation.

> **Justin Bieber ‘Come Around Me’** … Glenn

Dimitri was not sure how to react to Byleth getting a lap dance from a shirtless Glenn, who Dimitri realised truly was 100% heart throb material. He was an excellent dancer, but so dramatic in his crowdpleaser attempts that it was hard not to be entertained. Byleth was teary-eyed with laughter.

‘WHEN I RISE UP, BABY DON’T SHY UP… I … PFFFT… LOVE IT WHEN I’M IN IT, SHAWTY— HAHAHAHA!!!’ Glenn choked with mirth while doing a backbend on Byleth’s lap.

The Goddess spared Glenn’s life for the second time that night. Byleth saved him from landing on his head and cracking his skull.

‘I think that’s enough Ramune gin fizzes for you, baby g.’

‘I swear, By, I’m not even drunk! Things were just getting steamy back there…’ Glenn giggled.

Byleth smiled at him fondly. ‘Maybe that’s enough dancing?’

‘Noooo, say it ain’t so! We haven’t even gotten to “It Girl” yet!’

> **Jason Derulo ‘It Girl’** … Glenn

The audience went wild.

Dimitri learned that Byleth was as incredible a dancer as Glenn.

‘They just spend way too much time playing _Just Dance_ , because they’re fucking lame,’ Felix told him.

Dimitri was captivated by Byleth’s bright eyes, her mussed hair framing her face, her breathless, laughing mouth… She fell into rhythm with Glenn’s singing so easily. Meanwhile, Dimitri was one of those people who coordinated his limbs fine when sports were concerned, but found it impossible on a dance floor.

> **Fifth Harmony ‘Work From Home’** … glenn&thepussycats (Glenn, Byleth & Hilda)

Dimitri’s adoration for Byleth was pure, but the fantasies conjured by her exquisite, supple body at that moment were anything but. His throat was dry with desire in a way he never felt before.

‘You’re eye-fucking her pretty hard…’ Felix whispered, raising an eyebrow.

Shit.

* * *

Lambert wasn’t home as expected. Absentmindedly bidding the hired housekeeper good night, he clomped up the stairs to his room and collapsed on it. Dimitri’s reserves of sociability were well and truly exhausted, but it was the most fun he’d had going out with people in some time.

Byleth returned to his thoughts, just as she had the past two nights. Being with her, being given so much of her attention, left him feeling so contented and light at heart.

On impulse, he opened up his laptop. Now that he was alone, maybe he could do some of his own snooping.

In the space of an hour, he had been inundated with notifications.

Dimitri looked at Glenn’s sneaky candids of him and Byleth with near reverence. There was one of them scrolling through the food menu, Byleth’s dark-haired head and his blonde one bent together over the iPad. Byleth had a very serious expression, while he was frowning in puzzlement for some forgotten reason.

The next had captured him fondly watching Byleth eat pudding. Her eyes were shut, with a smile of perfect happiness on her face. She looked so cute, Dimitri died a mini-death. Glenn had captioned it:

> _guts_ — with Byleth Eisner and Dimitri Blaiddyd.

Another was of Dimitri talking to Felix, who was giving him a very suspicious side-eye. Then there was one of Dorothea on Byleth’s lap, saying something to Dimitri in an imperious manner; at which he looked totally petrified.

> _harpy queen_ — with Dorothea Arnault and Dimitri Blaiddyd.

Dimitri’s favourite was the one of Byleth feeding him crème caramel from her spoon. It was already flooding with likes and comments, even this late at night (or early in the morning). Curious, he read a few of them.

> _special welcome to the team ft hot manager babe x_ — with Dimitri Blaiddyd and Byleth Eisner at Galaxy Lounge.

**Mercedes von Martritz:** This is too adorable! (*´▽`*)

 **Annette Dominic:** Gorgeous girl!!! (づ￣ ³￣)づ love youuu

 **Claude von Riegan:** profile pic material 🔥 @Dimitri

 **Hilda Valentine Goneril:** awww babies xox

 **Felix Fraldarius:** Get a room. - 53 👎

 **Constance von Nuvelle:** You look stunning, By!

 **Yuri Leclerc:** So this is our competition @Sylvain Gautier

 **Glenn Fraldarius replied to Yuri Leclerc:** just concede Leclerc

 **Sylvain Gautier replied to Yuri Leclerc:** Damn, I think we should concede - 88 👎 1 👍

 **Edelgard von Hresvelg:** Back away from my beautiful best friend!

 **Glenn Fraldarius replied to Edelgard von Hresvelg:** nah, she’s mine

 **Edelgard von Hresvelg replied to Glenn Fraldarius:** Fight me.

 **Glenn Fraldarius replied to Edelgard von Hresvelg:** busy this weekend. maybe next - 92 👍

 **Linhardt von Hevring:** Obviously fake. Byleth is sharing her pudding. - 206 👍

 **Felix Fraldarius replied to Linhardt von Hevring:** Go back to sleep, traitor.

Edelgard von Hresvelg. Why did that name sound so familiar?

> _Claude von Riegan invited you to_ ‘go shorty, it’s your birthday’.
> 
> **Hosted by:** Glenn Fraldarius, Hilda Valentine Goneril, Claude von Riegan
> 
> **When:** Saturday 10th Blue Sea Moon
> 
> **Where:** glenn’s house, 3 Lycaon Pl
> 
> We’re celebrating Byleth’s 19th in summer baby style yeah yeah yeah! Message Hilda for +1s and Claude for dietary restrictions. Don’t message Glenn, he’s useless.
> 
> No need to bring anything, just bikinis + whatever. Rodrigue will be home so just wholesome pool party times. Message Hilda if you don’t understand, Mercedes.
> 
> **Going:** Ferdinand von Aegir, Dorothea Arnault, Caspar von Bergliez, Annette Dominic, Byleth Eisner, Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Sylvain Gautier, Holst Goneril, Edelgard von Hresvelg, Yuri Leclerc, Petra Macneary, Mercedes von Martritz, Constance von Nuvelle, Leonie Pinelli, Hubert von Vestra, Ashe Ubert, Ignatz Victor
> 
> **Maybe:** Felix Fraldarius, Linhardt von Hevring, Bernadetta von Varley
> 
> **Not Going:** Jeritza von Hrym

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated xx


	4. Days of Being Wild 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri gets to meet Byleth’s friends… and her boyfriend. Everyone plays Byleth Trivia and Dimitri learns a little more about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rodrigue is super responsible and doesn't condone underage drinking, so the little ones are safe!  
> I imagine Sylvain with his post-timeskip hair, because I really like it haha

Felix and Glenn’s father, Rodrigue, called out to Dimitri as he walked past Rodrigue’s study. They engaged in some minor small talk, and Dimitri was surprised to find out that Lambert and Rodrigue were great friends. Duke Fraldarius’s hereditary lands were also in Northern Faerghus, not far from the Blaiddyds’. They had moved to Enbarr to facilitate Rodrigue’s political career, just like Lambert. His wife, Helena, flew between Fhirdiad and Enbarr, while their sons decided to stay with Rodrigue.

‘Lambert told me you started school at Garreg Mach, but that you hadn’t mentioned Glenn or Felix. I have been too forgetful and haven’t had a chance to ask them about you. I wish my sons would tell me things, at least once in a while.’ Rodrigue sighed then shook his head with an abashed look. ‘That was unfair of me. I spend more time at work than at home. And when I am home, they never seem to be here.’

Dimitri liked Rodrigue straight away, if only because he possessed some degree of self-awareness, which Lambert lacked completely.

‘In any case, I am sorry for rambling on. I just recognised you at once with how much you resemble Lambert. I am sure the splashing and screaming will guide you to the pool. Judging by the fact that their names are the ones being screamed, Byleth and Felix are sparring…’

The contraption consisted of a gigantic foam roller. The idea of Glenn and Felix getting something like that custom-built didn’t actually surprise him. The roll spanned the entire width of the swimming pool, suspended a fair way above the water by steel attachments on either end. And the roller most certainly did roll.

Balancing skilfully on the roller, Byleth and Felix were engaged in fierce combat with foam swords. The proper fantasy replica kind… Felix’s was instantly identifiable as the Sword of the Creator from the Adrestian National Museum, while Byleth wielded the Sword of Seiros.

‘They’re recreating the battle between Saint Seiros and Nemesis, as I’m sure you’ve figured out.’ Dimitri turned in the direction of the voice. A girl with long white-blonde hair was leaning against the patio column nearby. She wasn’t unfriendly exactly, but her manner was aloof and she didn’t smile. When she saw his face, recognition stirred in her sharp eyes. ‘Ah, you were in that photo. Dimitri, yes? Byleth’s mentioned you a few times.’ She pushed off the column and came over, looking a bit less standoffish, then offered her hand to shake. ‘I’m her friend, Edelgard.’

Dimitri shook her hand and rattled off a pleasantry before his eyes darted back to Byleth. Realising he had been rude, he tore his gaze back to Edelgard, who was looking at him in cool amusement.

‘I guessed from the photos that you liked her.’

Dimitri opened his mouth to say something stupid and unconvincing but Claude caught sight of him from the pool.

‘DIMITRI! OVER HERE!’

Hearing his name, Byleth glanced over looking for him. With a howl of triumph, Felix knocked her into the water with a mighty swing. He overextended himself in his enthusiasm and tumbled into the pool right behind her. They surfaced spluttering but wearing manic grins. Claude immediately took possession of the Sword of the Creator and began terrorising one of the girls in the pool with it.

Dimitri moved to the side of the pool when he saw Byleth swimming over to greet him. Just seeing her made him smile.

‘Dimitri, thank you for coming!’ Byleth climbed out of the water and straightened up, looking at him with an answering smile on her lips. She instantly took his breath away, which she kept doing every time he saw her. She was stunning in a simple sky-blue bikini, her lovely dark hair streaming down her back, wet tendrils sticking to her face and neck, beads of water trickling down the gap between her breasts… Goddess, how was it possible for her to look this incredible?! She was irresistible… Dimitri was convinced she was going to be the death of him one day soon.

Dimitri followed her, vaguely aware that he probably looked like an adoring puppy. She bent down to pick up her white cover-up. It took all of his mental strength to deny his inner horny teenager and not stare at her ass. Forgetting to towel off first, she absentmindedly pulled the short knitted dress on. It clung to her wet skin at once, turning sheer and failing to do its job, basically.

Edelgard made that exact observation, and Byleth looked down at herself sheepishly. ‘Oh, I guess I was a little dazed. Not really sure why…’

That brought a fond smile to Edelgard’s face for the first time. So she _did_ smile sometimes.

‘By the way, have you been introduced to Dimitri yet?’

‘Yes, we spoke earlier.’

‘Oh, good!’ Byleth smiled at them both. ‘Shall we get drinks? Glenn and Holst are over by the bar. Sylvain too. Is it alright if I introduce you, Dimitri?’

So, the time had come. Dimitri was unsure what his exact feelings were at the moment, but he was undeniably curious about the kind of person Byleth’s boyfriend was. ‘Yeah, sure.’

‘Ok! Come with us, El? Or do you want me to bring you back a drink?’

‘Vodka tonic, please. But only if you’re the one making it, not Glenn. How does he make something as simple as a _vodka tonic_ taste like shit…?’

‘Dimitri, my young friend!’

Glenn hailed them from behind the counter, looking mildly terrifying brandishing a Boston shaker in one hand.

‘This could be bad…’ Byleth whispered under her breath to Dimitri.

‘I know that look, By! _Trust_ me, I’ve got this! I’m definitely holding it in the right—’ The bottom of the cocktail shaker flew out of his hand and landed on the ground with an almighty crash. ‘NOOOOO!!!’

Despite his confidence in himself, Glenn had still prepared cleaning products in case. He took the mop out sadly.

‘Whatever he had in there was probably going to kill him, so this is really for the best,’ Holst sobbed with laughter.

The two others leaning against the bar diverted their attention to Dimitri the instant he walked over with Byleth.

The experience of coming face to face with Sylvain was not quite what Dimitri anticipated. There was none of the hostility Claude and Hilda’s teasing made him prepare himself for. Sylvain exuded a playful, mischievous air as they studied each other. His eyes were surprisingly clear and direct, saying in a humorous way that he had been expecting their mutual assessment. It was an odd kind of rapport.

Sylvain was a bit taller than Dimitri, but without Dimitri’s boyish lankiness. Despite being less than two years older, he had a maturity about him that affirmed him as a young man rather than a boy—a difference Dimitri felt acutely. Casually dressed in loose, cream-coloured slacks and an oversized long-sleeved shirt, the top buttons undone; Sylvain appeared effortless, yet perfectly put together. The deep maroon shirt accentuated his golden-brown eyes and that distinctive red hair, which was messily parted in waves. He seemed to possess a natural ease in his own body; something Dimitri coveted. In conclusion: Sylvain Gautier was far more attractive than Dimitri had counted on.

‘Dimitri, this is Sylvain, and this is Yuri. Guys, this is Dimitri, our latest and most impressive recruit!’ Byleth sounded proud of him, and looked up at him with a grin that confirmed it, which Dimitri took significant solace in.

Holst threw a strong arm around Dimitri’s shoulders. ‘Blaiddyd looks sweet now, but he’s scary as fuck on the court! Imagine Felix, but like capable of breaking arms, and less of a mouthy little shit.’

Byleth laughed out loud, and everyone joined in.

Byleth went on in affected grandiloquence, ‘In other words, Dimitri is my new disciple!’

‘Her golden boy!’ Glenn’s voice came from somewhere close to the ground. ‘All hail Byleth, Demon Manager and Supreme Volleyball Deity! Crowner of Kings… the fuck is this sticky— aahhkjfbsfs!!!’

‘Everyone’s told him heaps about you, Syl,’ Byleth said, going behind the bar to save Glenn. Dimitri noticed Sylvain’s hand reach and gently brush her hand as she went past, and how his expression softened when she gave him a smile.

‘My reputation precedes me, as usual.’ When Sylvain spoke, there was a faint note in his voice that struck Dimitri as… regret? Some bitter emotion. It was too subtle for Dimitri to place. Sylvain shook Dimitri’s hand with a friendly enough grin. ‘Good to meet you, Dimitri.’

Next to him stood an ethereally handsome young man, delicate features framed by long lavender-coloured hair, and striking eyes made even more so by purple eyeshadow. His gaze was piercingly keen as he shook Dimitri’s hand as well.

‘We’ve heard nothing but praises of you. It seems you made a good first impression.’ Yuri gave off a barely concealed vibe of mockery. As if everything he said contained multiple meanings, and at least one was a joke at your expense.

‘They’re members of the same band,’ Byleth went on. Now both she and Glenn were invisible. ‘Syl is their guitarist, and Yuri’s the main vocalist. He plays keyboard too. You thought Glenn and I were good, but we can’t even come close to Yuri…’

‘Speak for yourself!’ Glenn scoffed. ‘Glenn and the Pussycats are going places with or without you!’

‘I’m about to make drinks for El and Dimitri. Want me to make you one, baby g?’

Glenn’s expression became much brighter and he smiled at Byleth. ‘Yes, please. I desire a herby drink, and I want it to look green! I really want to try this Chartreuse shit that no one but Rodrigue drinks, but I feel nostalgic so I’m also kind of craving Midori… Will you make me a tasty drink that can satisfy all these needs?’

‘That’s a solid no.’ Byleth laughed and booped him on the nose. ‘Let’s do Chartreuse shots? Pretty sure that’ll satisfy your herb cravings. And with my A+ mixologist skills, I’ll make you a Midori Sour for your nostalgia.’

‘By… I didn’t mean what I said. I wouldn’t actually go anywhere without you… I’d be too scared.’

‘I know.’

‘And success would mean nothing to me without you…’

‘I know that too.’

Holst and Yuri moved over, talking and joking with Byleth and Glenn, but Sylvain stayed where he was. Dimitri suddenly found himself left to speak with Sylvain alone.

‘Dimitri, here!’ Byleth reached across the counter with his drink.

‘Thank you.’ Smiling at her was so instinctive now, and it always made her smile back. His fingers rested over Byleth’s on the frosted glass before she withdrew her hand, returning to helping Glenn. There was no palpable response, but Dimitri felt that Sylvain hadn't missed it.

‘So, you only met Byleth a few days ago. Is that right?’

‘Yeah, I met her in the cafeteria…’ The word ‘cafeteria’ now possessed an odd sense of menace.

‘Ah. I thought maybe you had known each other before,’ Sylvain said in an offhand way, shifting his gaze forward to watch Byleth.

‘What made you think that?’

Sylvain rubbed the back of his neck, keeping his gaze on Byleth, who was playfully mocking Glenn while shaking a cocktail with greater success. ‘A feeling,’ he said jokingly. He seemed unwilling to talk about what the feeling was exactly, then decided otherwise.

‘It’s just uncommon for Byleth to look like that… smile like that unless it’s with someone she knows and likes.’ The laugh that followed seemed to be directed at himself. ‘But maybe I just haven’t been the most attentive boyfriend. No one stays the same forever. Feels kind of shit when others expect you to…’

* * *

_A Selection of Quotes from Byleth Eisner, Manager and Supreme Deity of the Garreg Mach Eagles Volleyball Team. Compiled by Claude von Riegan._

  1. Glenn doesn’t block people, he spikes their spikes right back in their faces.
  2. Jump in the direction that feels like satisfaction.
  3. If you’re going to hit it, hit it until it breaks!
  4. How do you spell ‘opponents’? Never mind, I’ll just use ‘foes’.
  5. Wow, I hate this team. Go crush their dreams into a million tiny little pieces!
  6. Why is it that when you’re in a game your mental age regresses by at least five years? (To Felix Fraldarius)
  7. Hmm, what’s that sound? The sound of their hearts breaking~ _(villainous laughter)_
  8. I have an important lecture for all of you, so crouch down! No, kneel down! Get yourselves lower than my line of sight!
  9. I will be the most brilliant yet mysterious manager ever.



**Our favourite Byleth quote:**

I feel like I’m standing with you on a battlefield. I may not be in the front line with you. I may not be able to fight at your side. But I would guard your backs with my life.

* * *

‘That’s Caspar— the one who’s trying to drown Ashe. They’re both in first year. Linhardt’s the same age as them, but he was moved up a year. Oh, see the blonde girl trouncing Claude with the Lúin relic? That’s Ingrid, she’s Claude’s girlfriend. I think she’s really cool, but it’s also hilarious watching Claude piss her off! Then he has to flee for his life…’

Dimitri couldn’t help laughing at Claude’s look of terror. The impish boy had realised that it wasn't a cute play-fight anymore. Byleth looked at Dimitri, eyes shining at his happy expression.

‘Are you having a nice time?’

‘I am.’ Dimitri realised that he actually was. His previous anticipation of meeting Byleth’s boyfriend had dissipated, and Sylvain’s presence was just part of the uplifting atmosphere created by Byleth, and the chaotic mix of lighthearted, high-spirited, energetic, relaxed people gathered around her.

‘The two girls sparring right now - Leonie’s the one with short hair. She’s a couple years older than me. She’s at the Military Officers Academy now - my father’s latest protégé!’

‘What does your father do?’

Byleth’s face lit up at once. ‘Oh, I guess I haven’t told you about him! Jeralt teaches close-quarters combat slash hand-to-hand combat and some other stuff at the Officers Academy. I actually asked him to hang out with us and Rodrigue tonight, but he said he’d rather get drunk alone than with “a bunch of brats” sooo…’ Byleth grinned as she imitated his gruff, sarcastic voice. As she raised a hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, the loose sleeve fell down to her elbow.

‘I didn’t really notice your tattoo before. Um, can I look… if that’s ok?’ Curiosity made him brave.

‘Oh, sure.’

Byleth obligingly held out her arm to him and, unthinkingly, he held it gently in one hand. The dark sheen of the ink was hypnotic. His fingertips traced the delicate skin of her wrist. It was a small but detailed, deeply inked image of a coniferous tree. That was where his knowledge of trees ended…

‘What does it mean?’ Dimitri asked, intrigued.

Her face took on a cute, cheeky cast. ‘It most definitely means a lot of things,’ she said in a tone of great solemnity. Then her eyes lowered to the tattoo. ‘It’s a cypress tree. I think I heard someone say, when I was little, that it existed between worlds.’

Dimitri felt a sudden, intense pulse of sadness travel between them.

‘I suppose I also held the belief of eternal life… after death, and…’

Byleth glanced back up at him. He was too caught up in her to rearrange his features, in which he laid bare his own vulnerability, mixed with the love he felt for her in that moment. He was surprised when she smiled… It was the first smile of its kind that Byleth ever gave him!

Byleth reached up and patted him on the head, a tender look in her eyes. ‘Sorry, I’ll tell you about it another time. Now… who else?'

Dimitri followed her gaze to the far side of the pool, where brightly-coloured beach towels were laid out on the grass. He recognised Ferdinand among the five people sitting in what appeared to be… a prayer circle?

‘…Maybe we can come back to them later. Let’s go inside, Dimitri!’

Inside, they ran into Felix. ‘I’ve settled the children down. Bernadetta’s reading in my room, and Lin is playing _Octopath Traveller_ in Glenn’s room. Or like, he’s running around the Frostlands aimlessly but not doing anything…’

‘He likes the music in the Frostlands,’ Byleth replied, as if that explained everything.

‘Right,’ said Felix. Apparently that did explain everything. ‘Oh yeah. By, if you have a moment, can you go save my foolish father?’

‘Oh, what happened to Rodrigue?’

‘It’s still happening. Hilda is drinking with him, Dorothea is flirting with him, and Hubert is giving him a tarot reading.’

* * *

‘Let’s play a little party game to warm up before the speeches! They all end up being tearjerkers for some reason. Meet me at the bar if you’re keen for some Byleth trivia!’

> **“How Well Do You Know Byleth Eisner?” with Sylvain Gautier**

‘At each table, you will find a selection of cute notepaper and pens, courtesy of our organiser Hilda. Please allocate yourselves into teams of no more than six people. Sorry, babe, but you’ll have to sit this one out. _Trivial Pursuit_ later?’ Sylvain winked at Byleth, who just gave him a grumpy look, then climbed up onto a stool near him at the outside bar.

Ferdinand was extremely pleased. ‘Oh, excellent! I am rarely ever defeated at _Trivial Pursuit._ I shall singlehandedly steer us to victory!’

‘The questions will be about Byleth, though,’ Linhardt pointed out. ‘It’s not the same at all. If anyone will be doing the heavy lifting, it’s Felix or Hilda. I have low expectations for myself… I don’t expect anything from you, Dimitri.’

‘Well, I remain confident! Now _I_ shall pick our stationery… praise Seiros! 0.38mm!’

Sylvain continued. ‘There are 3 rounds of 5 questions each. I’ll read each question out twice. Level of difficulty will increase each round, and answers will be worth more points. 5 points per Round 1 answer, 10 points each in Round 2, 15 points each in Round 3. There’s a challenge question at the end for hardcore fans. You know who you are. If you get it completely right, that’s 30 points.’

Glenn and Edelgard instantly locked gazes, a psychic challenge passing between them.

‘Finally, 20 points for the volleyball-related team name that impresses Byleth the Beautiful! That’s a possible total of 200. Answers will be marked at the end of each round and the totals will update on the projector screen. The winner receives a SPECIAL SECRET PRIZE from By~’

Edelgard raised her hand in the air, as if asking a question in class. ‘But you’re both shit at maths. I think we need someone else to double check the totals.’

‘Make Dimitri help Byleth! He’s going to be useless to us, anyway!’ Felix called out.

‘Ooh, nice work,’ Linhardt whispered under his breath.

‘Nooo, that’s going to be a disaster!’ Glenn yelled back. With a comical grin at Dimitri, he pointed a dramatic finger. ‘I’ve seen your last school report, Blaiddyd! You stay right where you are!!!’

In the end, Rodrigue was summoned from indoors to do the scoring for them.

**TEAMS:**

_Sugar and Spike:_ Mercedes, Annette, Constance, Ingrid

 _Kiss My Ace:_ Leonie, Caspar, Ashe, Ignatz, Petra

 _How I Set Your Mother:_ Linhardt, Hilda, Felix, Ferdinand, Dimitri

 _The Empire Spikes Back:_ Edelgard, Hubert, Dorothea, Bernadetta

 _Hit Me Baby One More Time:_ Glenn, Claude, Holst, Yuri

‘By the way, Mercedes!’ Sylvain called into the microphone. ‘Shooters as in the drinks. Not, like, the people who shoot shit up, yeah?’

They heard Mercedes’s sweet-tempered voice from the group next to theirs. ‘Oh my~ I did wonder for a moment, but considering the context…’

‘So? The answer?’ Ferdinand hissed in an impatient whisper.

Felix’s mouth curved into an immature smirk right away. ‘Byleth really enjoys Blow Jobs.’

Ferdinand remained composed, but a faint blush rose to his cheeks. Linhardt gave no response. Dimitri willed his face not to turn red. It wasn’t that he was easily embarrassed by sexual imagery. The association of sexual imagery with Byleth, though…

Felix did not have the chance to enjoy their discomfort for long. Giving the rest of them a sly wink, Hilda turned to Felix with an innocent look and proceeded to make licking motions with her tongue. The famous Fraldarius smirk died so fast that Linhardt choked on his drink.

‘It’s impossible for Byleth to enjoy a drink with such a crude, unsophisticated name!’ Ferdinand was adamant.

Linhardt stroked his chin in a show of serious thought. ‘I was going to make fun of you, Ferdinand. However, I agree. I think Byleth appreciates a subtler treatment of the double entendre.’

**Team:** _How I Set Your Mother_

**Round 1**

1\. What is Byleth's favourite film? _Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind_

2\. What does Byleth spend the most money on in an average week? _Convenience store pudding_

3\. Who is Byleth’s celebrity crush? _Shakira_

4\. Which fictional character was Byleth’s childhood idol? _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

5\. What is Byleth’s favourite alcoholic shooter? _Red Headed Slut (aka Sylvain Jose Gautier)_

#2 was revealed to be a cleverly engineered trick question. ‘Byleth is a complex human being! She cannot simply be reduced to her pudding addiction!’ Sylvain declared, gleeful at the success of his question. ‘Only _Sugar and Spike_ and _Hit Me Baby One More Time_ had the answer: BUBBLE TEA!’

There was a loud expletive from Edelgard, and rejoicing from Mercedes’s and Glenn’s groups.

Dimitri was absorbed in the discussions around him. Everything he could learn about Byleth felt precious, no matter how small or insignificant it appeared. Dimitri’s longing for her intimacy— to be allowed to know her for himself— kept growing more intense everyday.

> **Results:**
> 
> _Hit Me Baby One More Time:_ **R1 [25/25]**
> 
> _How I Set Your Mother:_ **R1 [20/25]**
> 
> _Sugar and Spike:_ **R1 [20/25]**
> 
> _The Empire Spikes Back:_ **R1 [20/25]**
> 
> _Kiss My Ace:_ **R1 [15/25]**

* * *

‘Question 7 is mostly a consolation question for Felix and Caspar, who probably had no idea about anything else,’ Sylvain announced jokingly. ‘What is Byleth’s favourite item of exercise equipment?'

‘Hah!’ Felix shot the redhead a mocking sneer. He had answered 3 out of their 4 correct answers in the first round. ‘Write down TRX suspension straps. I also remembered the previous one. Comme des Garçons Floriental.’

‘How do you even know that?’ Linhardt asked.

‘Byleth and I usually combine our online orders to get free shipping.’

Ferdinand, Linhardt and Felix triple confirmed the answer to question 8.

‘Too easy,’ Felix scoffed at question 9.

‘Oohhhh, I know this one!!!’ Hilda exclaimed at question 10.

**Team:** _How I Set Your Mother_

**Round 2**

6\. What is Byleth’s signature fragrance? _Comme des Garçons Floriental_

7\. What is Byleth’s favourite item of exercise equipment? _TRX suspension straps_

8\. Which Lord of the Rings film scene makes Byleth cry? _When Boromir dies_

9\. What colour did Byleth dye her hair when she was 14? _Neon green_

10\. Which current Victoria’s Secret Angel is the desktop on Byleth’s MacBook? _Sara Sampaio_

> **Results:**
> 
> _How I Set Your Mother:_ R1 [20/25] || **R2** **[50/50]** = **70/200**
> 
> _The Empire Spikes Back:_ R1 [20/25] || **R2** **[50/50]** = **70/200**
> 
> _Hit Me Baby One More Time:_ R1 [25/25] || **R2** **[40/50]** = **65/200**
> 
> _Kiss My Ace:_ R1 [15/25] || **R2 [40/50]** = **55/200**
> 
> _Sugar and Spike:_ R1 [20/25] || **R2 [30/50]** = **50/200**

* * *

‘Now! It’s time for the hardest round, which will test how… _intimately_ you know Byleth!’

An audible groan escaped Byleth.

‘This is sooo hard!’ Hilda wore a puzzled frown. ‘She’s definitely an Extrovert, I think. What are the next letters again?’

‘Simple! I already know this.’ Ferdinand wrote down the answer with a pleased expression.

‘Literally how?’ demanded Felix.

‘I have the innate ability to know someone’s personality type on sight!’

‘…Alright. What’s mine then?’

‘I do believe you are an ISTJ-T,’ Ferdinand declared without hesitation.

‘Wrong! I am an INFJ-T,’ Felix said, laughing in smug contempt.

‘What?! How?!’ Ferdinand was in complete shock. ‘Still, I’m positive I got Byleth’s right!’

‘Well, the rest of us can’t be bothered, so your answer can stay.’ Linhardt was bored now.

‘The answer to this one is so fucking obvious! It should have been in Round 1!’ Felix hollered over the flustered giggles.

‘Well, I’m sorry for giving a higher point value to Byleth’s SPECIAL MEMORIES!!!’ Sylvain shouted back.

‘ _I_ don’t know the answer,’ Ferdinand pointed out, confused.

Hilda was just as nonplussed. ‘Yeah, Fe. It’s so not obvious at all. Who _did_ By lose her virginity to?’

Felix rolled his eyes. ‘My brother.’

Dimitri was not expecting that at all. Then it kind of made sense, but he needed more time to think about it.

‘…I’m the answer to this one. Shut up, Lin! I was nine years old at the time, ok?’

**Team:** _How I Set Your Mother_

**Round 3**

11\. What is Byleth’s Myers-Briggs personality type? _ESTP-A_

12\. What is Byleth’s preferred style of panty? _No fucking idea because we’re not perverts_

13\. Who did Byleth lose her virginity to? _Glenn_

14\. Who did Byleth promise to marry if they could beat her in a fistfight someday? _Felix_

15\. What is Byleth’s favourite sex position? _You’re disgusting, Gautier._

> **Results:**
> 
> _Hit Me Baby One More Time:_ R1 [25/25] || R2 [40/50] || **R3 [75/75]** = **140/200**
> 
> _How I Set Your Mother:_ R1 [20/25] || R2 [50/50] || **R3 [45/75]** = **115/200**
> 
> _The Empire Spikes Back:_ R1 [20/25] || R2 [50/50] || **R3 [45/75]** = **115/200**
> 
> _Sugar and Spike:_ R1 [20/25] || R2 [30/50] || **R3 [30/75]** = **80/200**
> 
> _Kiss My Ace:_ R1 [15/25] || R2 [40/50] || **R3 [0/75]** = **55/200**

* * *

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Wow, I can actually answer this! So can Glenn, though. Probably Edelgard and Dorothea too. But if By likes our team name best, can we win?!’

Until then, Felix had pretended it wasn’t a big deal, but he was extremely competitive. Now he had caught the tantalising scent of victory. He turned expectantly to Linhardt, who did the calculation in the space of a blink. Dimitri was amazed, to say the least.

‘165 out of 200. We would tie for first place with Glenn’s team.’

‘Good enough. Hand over the pen. It’s easier for me to write than to explain…’

> **CHALLENGE QUESTION:**
> 
> How many tattoos does Byleth have? What are they, and where on her body are they located?
> 
> _Six. Cypress tree: inner right wrist. Four leaf clover: inside of right ankle. Her mother’s name, Sitri: beneath her heart. Numeral “VIII” (Major Arcana, Strength): left inner thigh. Numeral “XXI” (Major Arcana, The World): left inner thigh. Figure of Lucifer from Doré’s ‘The Fall of Satan’: right side of her chest, sideboob area but not like literal sideboob._

‘That was sooo impressive!’ Hilda shrieked when it was announced that they received full points. ‘I can’t believe you got all of that right! How did you know?! Like I never even asked what _type_ of tree that was on her wrist. I thought it was just meant to be a pretty tree!’

‘I was there with her for all of them. We always have tattoos done together so we get a discount.’

‘Your parsimoniousness is almost admirable,’ said Linhardt.

‘…It’s called spending money wisely.’

‘I have to say, I’m genuinely in awe at how well you guys know By! I will now reveal the team name that delighted her the most…’ Sylvain’s gaze travelled the room theatrically, and Byleth smiled, her elbow propped on the bar with her chin in her hand. ‘While she was very amused by all the names, it was the artful and inconspicuous humour of this one that actually made her laugh out loud! The winner is… Hit Me Baby One More Time!’

‘YESSSS!!!’

‘With that, they are also the ULTIMATE WINNER, with an impressive final score of 190 out of 200. Although, dare I ask how you four know how my girlfriend likes it in bed?’ Sylvain was laughing as he watched Glenn, Claude, Holst and Yuri jumping around and causing a gleeful ruckus.

‘DON’T TELL HIM!’ Byleth yelled. ‘He used it as a fucking _trivia question!_ Don’t tell him anything!!!’

The four boys snapped into salutes.

‘Sorry, Syl. Guess that’s a challenge question for you.’ Yuri gave an unsympathetic shrug.

‘If you don’t know the answer to that, I guess we know your girlfriend more _intimately_ than you do,’ Claude managed to splutter out before devolving into hysterical laughter at his own witticism.

Sylvain pouted at Byleth with an injured expression but she ignored him, turning away with an exaggerated toss of her hair.

‘You know, I only just realised the numerals on your thigh are tarot references. Thanks to Hubert, in fact. Who even knew he was into tarot… By the way, Glenn. Which question did you get wrong?’ said Edelgard.

‘Her signature perfume. I can’t believe _Felix_ knew that one!’

Byleth turned to Dimitri and the others. ‘How did you guys know what my personality type was?! I was so surprised! You were even specific about me being Turbulent instead of Assertive!’

‘You could call it my natural talent.’ Ferdinand’s ego swelled to terrifying proportions.

‘By, I demand to know your favourite sex position!’ Dorothea descended on Byleth like a screaming banshee. ‘It’s bad enough that I was wrong about your panties! I’m annoyed Syl didn’t give us that last answer— it’s KILLING me!’

‘Good,’ Glenn said obnoxiously. ‘Don’t tell her, By.’

‘Goddess, Glenn! You’re so annoying, I actually despise you!’ hissed Dorothea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Byleth's bikini ref [[x](https://www.revolveclothing.com.au/becbridge-farrah-bikini-top/dp/BECA-WX2/?d)]  
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated xx


	5. Days of Being Wild 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glenn tells a story about his first meeting with Byleth! Dimitri and Byleth have a bonding moment… in the pool. Misunderstandings ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd Happy New Year! ♥

‘I have not shared this story with many people… not the whole story. This is the true unadulterated and unembellished version of events. You will not find it recorded anywhere. _Unless_ you purchase our joint autobiography, predicted to come out at some stage before our deaths!’

> **We Started Wearing Less and Going Out More** by Byleth Eisner and Glenn Fraldarius

‘As you may well remember, it was a period of great political turmoil and social unrest. Under the corrupt government of Prime Minister Ionius, criminals ran their organisations in the open, partied with the nouveau riche, stole our jobs and married our daughters!!! For us blue bloods, the zeitgeist was characterised by a vague restlessness and discontent… Existential ennui, low self-esteem, undiagnosed depression and shit wifi threatened to end bloodlines before the peasants even made it up the hill with the guillotine. This was the backdrop for my fateful meeting with Byleth Eisner!’

There was a cheerful din of laughter and whistling. Rodrigue was not impressed with his older son.

‘A predestined bond was forged under violent circumstances, for which my brother was to blame. The young Fraldarius firebrand was picking fights with boys twice his size before he even learned to walk. Being the heroic big brother that I am, I would take up the ensuing challenges in his place.’

‘One night, I arrived at the agreed location. The McDonalds storage yard on Friedrich Street, where all the serious fights took place. But I realised too late… I had been lured into a trap! Instead of the three 14-year-old buffoons I expected, I stood before ten grown men. Felix had picked a fight with the heir of one of the Underground Lords!’

Ferdinand and Mercedes gasped in horror. With the audience hanging onto every word, Glenn was enjoying himself immensely.

‘However, they didn’t just intend to teach _me_ a lesson. They had learned that I was the heir of Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius! One of the Seven Lords who openly opposed Ionius, alongside Dukes Aegir, Goneril and Riegan, Counts Hevring and Varley, and Countess Galatea!’

Edelgard looked both annoyed and amused by her father’s role as villain. Raucous cheers came from the people whose parents were given hero status. Linhardt just sighed. Bernadetta squeaked in terror from behind Felix.

‘Now, I was quite tall and strong for my age and obviously never lost a fight! But I was still a mere 10-year-old pup. They intended to deliver my battered, broken body to Rodrigue as a message… I fought valiantly, of course, but there were too many and I was soon overpowered. They began to kick me into a pulp, and I resigned myself to an ignominious death in that cold, forsaken yard…’ Ferdinand and Mercedes clapped their hands over their mouths, their eyes brimming with tears.

‘It was in that moment of my greatest need that she appeared!!!’

‘BYLETH!!! YESSS!!!’ came a resounding yell from Caspar. The triumphant uproar from the thrilled audience was deafening. Dimitri felt the rush of elation and relief mixed with their entertainment. It was an unexpectedly powerful feeling of deliverance. Their heroine had arrived at last!

Byleth was shaking with helpless laughter. Glenn flashed an affectionate smile at her before continuing his dramatic narration.

‘It was as if my assailants were blown away by a fierce tempest! My ears were still ringing from the blows, so I couldn’t hear anything. All I could see was the cinematic blur of her moving around me! She was so fast that not one of the oafs could even touch her! She was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Giant fists flew and their blows landed on allies rather than on my saviour! Blood sprayed from broken noses and split lips. Teeth unseen by dentists were knocked from mouths. Ducking and weaving, she took the men out one by one, with calculated strikes that carried all the power of her little body behind them!’

An eruption of thunderous cheers filled the air in the backyard again. Dorothea, Ingrid, Annette and Leonie screamed Byleth’s name. Glenn wore an expression of intense pride.

‘I believed she was my guardian spirit sent by the Goddess. Maybe I’d actually earned some good will with Her. Maybe Rodrigue was helping me all this time by dragging me to church?! Then Byleth helped me up, wiped the blood from my face, and I discovered that she was a real person! A girl my age! My momentary lapse into religious faith was cured. I discovered my faith in a human being instead. Anyway, we needed to get out of there! But I was in so much pain, I couldn’t walk… Byleth carried me on her back all the way to safety. To the pub where she had left Jeralt to drink, while she went about her business.’

Dimitri snorted with laughter at that. Even Felix was chuckling out loud.

‘While we walked, she explained that she was scoping out the lay of the land. She’d just moved to Enbarr. Soon, there was going to be a takeover. The Ashen Demon would be running these streets now. This was going to be _her_ stomping ground! My last thought before I passed out was that I’d met the coolest person in the world!’

‘When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital bed. Byleth was gone. My father was relieved that I was alive… so he could murder me himself!!! But I started to cry, so Rodrigue decided not to murder me just yet. He figured that I might be traumatised from my experience, as any normal child would be. Thanks, Dad! I’m proud of you!’

Rodrigue’s frown was practically three quarters of a Felix scowl, and everyone burst into laughter.

‘I wasn’t a normal child…’

The laughter grew more cacophonous and hysterical.

‘I cried because I thought Byleth wasn’t real.’

A collective ‘AWWWW’ followed Glenn’s admission. Several people were beginning to sniffle, while Mercedes and Ferdinand were already wiping tears from their cheeks.

'Jeralt brought me to the hospital, so no one mentioned a little girl. My ideas about mental illness at that age were problematic at best. I thought I’d be locked away if I said I’d met a girl slash guardian spirit slash street-fighting juvenile boss delinquent who’d fought off ten men, carried me to safety, etc. So for a miserable month, I kept Byleth a secret— thinking that I was outsmarting the system. I thought it was meta as hell. My solitary battle against the constructs of reality, being and time, and all that shit… I didn’t know a lot of those words at the time, though.’

Glenn’s eyes glittered momentarily and he blinked. ‘That was when Byleth appeared for the second time. Rodrigue said he was taking me to visit the man who saved my life, so that I could thank him personally. I walked through the front door of Jeralt Eisner’s house that day… and there she was. We were only reunited because of you, Dad. Thank you for real this time!’

‘From that day onwards, Byleth and I were best friends and sworn allies! We were depressed as fuck, but we were together… and I never had to fight alone again. We also had lots of cool adventures where we played a vital role in cleaning up Enbarr’s streets once and for all! The rest, as they say, is history.’

Glenn looked at Byleth with a wobbly smile. ‘I’m sorry I always get emotional on your birthdays, By. We’re less badass in our old age, but I know you’ll always appear when I need you! You’re my best friend and… I’m so grateful for you everyday…’

Her own bottom lip trembling as much as Glenn’s, Byleth ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Glenn held her tight, hiding his face in her hair. Of all the new people who had appeared in Dimitri’s life since coming to Enbarr, it was these two who shone the brightest to him. But he was beginning to wonder if not even they existed in the absence of darkness.

Byleth had said her father was an instructor in close combat. He wondered if Glenn’s dramatic fight scene was based on something that really happened. According to some of their older friends who chatted with him afterwards— Mercedes, Constance and Annette— Glenn’s stories were a popular fixture of Byleth’s birthdays. Previous stories featured Byleth saving Glenn from child traffickers, an evil cult who experimented on his and Felix’s blood, contract killers who came for Rodrigue but had to get through his brave son first, etc.

Still, the emotions Glenn expressed seemed intense and genuine, especially about Byleth. It was difficult not to wonder if Glenn’s extravagant humour and ironic gravitas played with them all. Was he dangling and re-submerging fragments of the truth that were scattered throughout his story?

Did something really happen that affected Glenn and Byleth as deeply as he intimated?

* * *

People gradually said good night, hugged Byleth, and made plans to message about plans, before returning to their homes. Claude, Ingrid and Ashe were some of the last to leave, and soon only the rest of the volleyball team, Byleth, Sylvain, Edelgard and Hilda remained.

No one seemed to care about the time, as if the night was endless. With the exception of Linhardt, who took occupation of Glenn’s room and tucked himself into bed.

It was a warm night and the water was a comfortable temperature, so Byleth, Glenn and Felix dove straight back into the pool. While Byleth and Felix raced each other, Glenn paraded on a giant LED swan. He seemed to have regained some of his high spirits.

Sylvain sneakily swapped Glenn’s music for one of his playlists. An atmospheric soundtrack for the balmy backyard scene.

Byleth tried to pull herself up onto a yacht-shaped float. Felix tossed her aside into the water and claimed the yacht for himself. Byleth came back up spluttering. She climbed astride a jet ski float instead and began to ram Felix’s yacht. Glenn drifted in circles on his swan, singing “Sea of Love”.

‘How do those three always have so much energy?’ Holst sighed, drowsily reclining in a pool chair.

‘I noticed you weren’t swimming before either. Do you not like to?’ Edelgard asked Dimitri.

‘I feel neutral about it.’ Truthfully, he was warm and the water was inviting, but he felt self-conscious of his body and whether Byleth would find him attractive. Dimitri wasn’t feeling assertive right then. ‘What about you?’

Edelgard took a sip of her drink. ‘I hate the water. I can’t swim.’

‘You should totally go in, Dimitri!’ exclaimed Hilda. ‘It actually looks soooo nice, I’m going to jump in myself! I can show you where the bathroom is, if you like.’

This was his chance.

When Dimitri followed Hilda into the pool, Glenn greeted them with a piercing wolf whistle. ‘Looking good, Blaiddyd! You don’t look bad either, Hil.’

Byleth and Felix looked over at him too and wolf whistled at the same time, laughing when Dimitri blushed and submerged himself posthaste.

‘Don’t worry, Dimitri! You look totally sexy!’ Hilda said in an earnest, reassuring voice, attempting to bolster his self-confidence. Dimitri was a bit ashamed of being so awkward.

Glenn paddled his swan over using the Sword of the Creator, which he had found floating nearby. Byleth and Felix swam over from the other end of the pool, resurfacing and shaking their heads to spray Dimitri and Hilda with their wet hair.

‘Sooo sexy!’ Dimitri’s heart skipped a beat at Byleth’s breathless voice, though it was literally from trying to catch her breath. ‘Dimitri! Did I spy the beginnings of an eight-pack?!’

‘Ah, maybe.’ Dimitri smiled at the open sincerity of her admiration.

‘Wait, for real?!’ asked Felix.

Glenn sighed when both Byleth and Felix ducked underwater to check out Dimitri’s abs. ‘Apologies for the children’s manners. I don’t even have an excuse for them.’

Dimitri was too busy recoiling in shock when one of them poked him to test how hard his abs were. They surfaced again. Felix (the culprit) was choking, having laughed underwater and snorted water up his nose. Byleth apologised if they had made him uncomfortable, but Dimitri was laughing.

Their carefree, lighthearted moods were so infectious. This atmosphere was so unfamiliar to him. But then, he had never known people like them before. It was easy and comfortable being around them. Even when they wanted to do their own thing, they remained attuned to one another in some way. Silence wasn’t loaded with expectation. If they wished for interaction, reciprocation seemed to come with ease. Dimitri didn’t understand how to understand it…

There was no hesitancy or fear of rejection in their interactions: anxieties that Dimitri grappled with almost every time he talked to someone. If Glenn pissed Felix off, Hilda pissed Felix off, or Glenn and Felix pissed everyone off, they would get over it so easily.

It was idyllic.

The kind of friendship you only read about; or saw rendered in a soft, muted colour palette in some ultimately tragic indie film.

Dimitri felt as if he had stepped into a surreal world. Sylvain’s dreamy mix of surf rock, psychedelia and lo-fi funk probably had a little bit to do with that sensation… Dimitri felt relaxed and blissful, but wistful at the same time. For what he wasn’t sure.

Byleth was lying on her back and floating at his side while he swam. When he stopped for her, she whirled around him playfully, doing snow angel figures. She filled him with such joy and adoration.

Eventually, Byleth just let herself drift, her luminous eyes raising to watch the stars. A languid sigh escaped her. ‘This is nice… I feel so happy right now. It’s difficult to explain.’

‘I feel happy too.’

Byleth turned her head slightly to look at him. ‘Mm, that makes me happy too… I’m not the best at asking personal questions from people. I want you to know it doesn’t mean I’m not interested. I do want to know more about you, Dimitri… but there’s no rush either.’ Her smile was so lovely. ‘Part of me thinks talking will come naturally to us sometime, but you also make me feel I need to help you begin. What do you feel about it?’

It was another instant in which her insight seemed to delve right into his heart.

‘I want you to know me. But I feel… anxious that I might be imposing on you. I worry that you won’t be interested, but that’s not because of you. I find it difficult to talk about myself too. I’m not used to it. You’re right… if I’m talking with someone, I can’t decide when or where to begin. I feel like I’d be forcing it to happen. Or the other person’s going through something, and I should be caring about them more… My feelings never seem as important.’

Dimitri realised that his last sentence was a summary of his relationship with Marianne.

‘Hmm. So when you talk to people, you are usually the one listening?’

‘…Yeah. I hadn’t thought about it like that before.’

They floated on their backs side by side, feeling like they were in a space of their own. Just the two of them. A bubble keeping the sounds and concerns of the outside world at bay. The sensation had captured Glenn too. He drifted past them, reclining on his swan and lost in deep thought. Felix and Hilda were in harmony. Hilda had commandeered Byleth’s jet ski, and Felix was floating beside her on his yacht. Holst had fallen asleep, and Edelgard and Sylvain were on their phones.

‘Your feelings never matter less than someone else’s. I know it’s not easy, but not everyone will be intuitive enough to give you a hand. So it’s important to speak up when you want to speak. It’s ok to be open and ask for what you want. I don’t mind if you do that with me. Even if I was super busy, I’d make time for you.’ Her light, clear voice flowed over him like water, soothing and encouraging.

‘But if I asked you to listen all the time, won’t I just make you feel the same way?’ Dimitri gave a befuddled sigh.

‘Isn’t it different if you listen to me sometimes too? Listening is nice when it’s reciprocated. It’s all about balance, as with many things in life!’ Byleth finished on a mystical note.

‘Byleth, you’re really wise,’ Dimitri said earnestly, and a huff of amusement escaped her.

‘And you’re very easy to like, Dimitri. I don’t think anyone here would mind if you “imposed” on us a little. After all, you aren’t pushing your company onto us. If anything, we might be doing that to you! Maybe you accept our invitations because you feel obligated?’

‘No, it’s not like that!’ Dimitri said, startled. He found himself wanting to be honest to her about his insecurities. ‘I’m grateful that you all include me. Especially you. You just met me, but you give me so much of your time and attention. More than anyone does, sometimes… You act like you’re glad to see me everyday. You’re always noticing things I’m struggling with. I… feel unsure why. I don’t understand why I’d matter to you. Now that I’ve said it, my mind tells me there’s no way I _actually_ matter to you, so there must be something else…’

Byleth’s face had grown sad as he spoke.

‘I feel the same, you know. Ever since we met, you make me feel like you notice and care. Even if it’s just offering to carry something to the gym. When we see each other, you smile as if seeing me is what made you smile! Like _you’re_ glad to see _me_. Even that night at karaoke, when you said I could have everything I liked to eat, and you’d just eat what I didn’t finish. I felt like you wanted me to be happy, and that’s all it was about. You’d known me for, like, two days but you still cared about my greedy whims. _I’m_ the one who should be wondering why I matter to you!’

Byleth flicked a drop of water at his face. ‘Maybe you’re just a nice person to be around. It can be as simple as that. That’s part of why I like you, Dimitri. The other part is my natural intuition when it comes to these things!’

When Dimitri turned his head to look at her, she turned too. With her bright eyes and intoxicating smile, her dark hair floating around her in the water…

She was the most splendid and divine being in the universe.

‘Dimitri?’

‘Yes?’

Byleth wore a supremely cheeky look on her face as she bit back a grin. ‘I promise I’m not saying all this now that I’ve seen how amazing your chest is…’

‘I… um…??’ Dimitri’s wide blue eyes and instantaneous blush made her laugh out loud.

‘I’m sorry for teasing you— pffft I rarely come up with good jokes, I really wanted to say it ahahah! Aahhlskfjk, drowning!!!’

Smiling at her antics, he flipped upright, pulling a flailing Byleth up with him. He underestimated his strength as usual, and she came flying into his arms.

It happened in slow motion.

Her face collided into him with a surprised, cheerful ‘oof!’ and her lips pressed against his chest…

Laughing and disoriented, her lithe nakedness clung to his body, and her legs tangled in his… Her palms rested on his abdomen to steady her. Her slim, lovely fingers slid over the sculpted muscles, fingertips dipped and drifted gently along the hard lines and edges… Surely this was a dream??? A wonderfully, deliriously, unbelievably perfect dream. Dimitri slid his hands along her silky skin to her waist, keeping her close to him.

Byleth was so beautiful, she made him lightheaded. The feeling of her skin on his was so heavenly that Dimitri embraced his glorious insanity. Reality was so much better than he had dreamed. He wished he could keep holding her. Transfixed by her face, Dimitri sank into the dream-like pools of her eyes. Her sweet panting mouth tore his own breath from his lungs…

‘Gosh, Dimitri! Felix was right… I nearly broke my nose on your chest!!! Hoooly shit!’

Oh, well.

Dimitri closed his eyes with a resigned but fond groan. ‘You could rephrase that as a compliment… like “Dimitri, your body drives me wild, you’ve given me a nosebleed”?’

‘…Oh, I get it now!’

The harsh scraping sound of a pool chair being pushed backwards brought them back to reality. In time to see Sylvain’s receding back. The sliding door to the house opened, then slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always loved and appreciated xx


	6. Strawberry Yoghurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected argument. Glenn has a slumber party to cheer Byleth up. Edelgard is on the case. Dimitri is jealous and gets pensive in the shower… but he grows closer to his dream girl every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Dimitri has a mini erotic fantasy in the shower, I didn't think it was quite M-rated material because it doesn't have graphic detail as such, but please let me know if you think it needs a warning.

Dimitri felt uncomfortable about his present occupation… but his curiosity was considerably greater than his discomfort. The window overlooking the backyard was slightly ajar. Holst was still asleep, but Glenn, Felix, Edelgard, Hilda and Dimitri were crouched beneath the windowsill, eavesdropping on the conversation taking place inside. After a silent furious scuffle, Glenn and Edelgard agreed to a truce and squished into the prime position together.

‘I don’t understand how you think we’ve been sleeping together “all this time”. Do you think he’d fly ten hours from Fhirdiad every weekend just to see me for, like, two hours, then fly ten hours back?’

If it was the only way he could be with Byleth, of course Dimitri would!!!

Glenn snickered behind his hand. ‘What am I even hearing… Edelgard, you have your phone?!?! Give it to me!!!’

‘Stop that— ugh, you’re getting water on me!!! No, we’re not recording them!’

Dimitri was emotionally invested in the hypothetical separation scene. The vision of having to leave Byleth after those two precious hours together. Kissing the crown of her head… the pain of having to walk away from her at the airport… AGONY!!!

Wait a second.

Why were they apart??? He would literally move anywhere to live with Byleth! This scenario wasn’t even realistic!!

‘I don’t know why you guys think it’s funny that they’re fighting,’ said Hilda, who looked quite upset. She turned to Dimitri. ‘Don’t be sad, Dimitri! You didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t your fault at all. And don’t worry about By! She’s not the kind of girl who’d start treating you different just ‘cause…’

Sylvain’s voice had become more subdued. ‘I didn’t know he just moved from Fhirdiad. But even if it hasn’t been as long as I thought, I’m not blind! You _know_ he can’t take his eyes off you. I can tell that you like it… I see how you smile at him every time you meet his eyes. Every single one of your expressions… even when you stopped making them for me… They’re burned into my memory, By. You used to smile at me like that…’

‘Dimitri and I don’t have the kind of relationship you’re accusing us of. I smile at him when I feel like smiling at him. I don’t know what more you want from me.’ Byleth didn’t even sound angry, just kind of… indifferent.

‘Good, she’s properly pissed off for once,’ muttered Edelgard, a surprisingly vicious glint in her eye. ‘I can’t believe he has the nerve to accuse _her!_ I’m this close to bursting in there and telling him to get the fuck out!’

‘Wow, calm down. We’ll make our dramatic entrance in a minute.’ Glenn started to look guilty about eavesdropping after all. They were all feeling it right about then.

‘You’re making me watch you with him. Are you doing this to hurt me?? I deserve it, but please…’

‘I wish you had been clearer before now. I guess this is why you guys call me oblivious… What you don’t know can’t hurt you. That’s what it’s always been like with you. So as long as I do it your way, can I do anything I want?’

‘No!’ The acute distress in Sylvain’s voice stunned Dimitri for a moment. ‘Please! Please don’t say it like that! You know it would hurt me… you know how much I love you…’

‘I want to smile at anyone I want. I _will_ smile at anyone I want. I’m sorry… I didn’t want to bring up those other things. I’m so angry that you resent me even being happy in someone’s company. Why do you have to turn it into something ugly?’

Sylvain's voice was shaking, on the edge of tears. ‘Because you’ll change… and leave me behind. It’s happening already. I’m so sorry I keep hurting… disappointing you. I’m so sorry, Byleth.’

Byleth’s tone softened a little. ‘You’re right that I’m changing a little, but I won’t leave you alone.’

‘Please come home with me, By. I can’t bear being without you after we’ve fought like this.’

There was silence for a breath or two.

‘I’m sorry, Syl. I’d like to stay here tonight.’

It felt like something dangled unsaid on the end of Byleth’s sentence.

The five eavesdroppers were frozen in place. They hadn’t managed to “interrupt” the argument as Glenn had planned.

‘I thought he’d only throw a tantrum over Dimitri. Just a mini one.’ Glenn was the most disquieted of them all.

Edelgard glared into empty space. Hilda’s eyes glistened with tears. Dimitri just wanted to be near Byleth, but how could he… As usual, it was Felix who didn’t hesitate. Without saying a word, he got to his feet and strode off to find her.

‘Felix, I can’t believe we forgot to eat dinner! _I_ forgot to eat dinner! Rodrigue cooked his arrabbiata sauce that I really love too! I have to thank him tomorrow. We only need to boil pasta, then we can all eat. Can we have bowtie pasta today?’

They were standing near the kitchen stove. Felix stood behind her, mostly concealing Byleth’s form from view. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her back against his chest. Dimitri struggled with the jealousy that crept in - the selfish turn his thoughts took even while Byleth was unhappy.

Glenn moved over to them, gently took the pot lid from Byleth and covered the saucepan. He took her hands in his own and his expression grew intensely earnest. ‘If I have the power someday, I’ll give you everything you want in the world. Let’s eat bowtie pasta.’

Dimitri couldn’t see her face, but he heard her congested inhalation of breath.

Glenn gave orders in an authoritative fashion, trying to sound upbeat. ‘Fe, prepare the pasta of our girl’s wishes! Then reheat the sauce on the _stove_. Not the microwave, you philistine. Dimitri, you’re taller than this stunted lot. Can you get my _Fellowship of the Ring_ DVD from the shelf over my computer? My room’s the one at the end. Lin’s asleep, so… actually, make as much noise as you like. Hil, can you take out the bowls and cutlery, please? Edelgard, you and I are going to transform the theatre into a nice cosy yurt. You are all invited to Glenn’s spontaneous slumber party~’

Finally, he turned to Byleth. ‘By, into the shower with you! Then clothe yourself, you can’t just walk around the house looking like that! Now I know you don’t like my shower gel, because it’s super MANLY…’

‘You know I love your strawberry yoghurt shower gel, Glenn.’ Byleth turned around and there was a small smile on her face, which made everyone’s moods lighten significantly.

‘NOOOOO, not in front of Dimitri! I’m subversively establishing myself as the alpha by the power of suggestion. Dimitri, you’ll stay, yeah? Sweet! You can borrow any of my stuff. My chest is slightly less impressive, but I’m TALLER so that’s ok! See, Byleth? That’s how I make sure my juniors don’t get any ideas about fighting me for dominance.’

Nobody could wake Holst up, so Glenn covered him with a blanket and left him to sleep outside.

‘You knew about this before. So that’s why you talk about him so harshly all the time,’ Glenn said to Edelgard as soon as they heard the shower running in Glenn’s bathroom.

‘Yes, some of it.’

‘Is it as bad as it sounded? I _know_ she wouldn’t stay with him if she didn’t want to, especially if she didn't like how he treated her. I’ve known Syl since we were, like, yucky babies in nappies fighting over Ingrid’s sexy ice skater Barbie… then Felix betrayed me by breaking his rattle on my head so Syl gained the upper hand. I can’t rid myself of that bitterness even after all these years. Like, it’s a legitimate trauma I keep revisiting with my psychologist, but never resolving it. I swear all that wasrelevant in my head… I struggle to talk about my issues without a soothing layer of irony between myself and them, but I end up giving the impression that I’m making light of them. Ughhhhh, I want to know what’s going on!!! How come _you_ knew but I didn’t??’

Glenn threw a tea towel onto the floor in a minor fit of rage, stared at it for a few seconds, then bent down and picked it back up.

Edelgard observed Glenn with cool amusement. ‘Sylvain clearly has something he’s using to make By feel guilty. With Hubert’s help, I intend to uncover what it is!’

‘Or you could just ask Byleth,’ Felix said over his shoulder while stirring the arrabbiata sauce.

‘Do you think I didn’t try that, fool??’ Edelgard hissed in annoyance. ‘Glenn, if it makes you feel any better, By only talked to me when I confronted her with something I found out on my own.’

‘No, it doesn’t make me feel better! Maybe I’ll feel better when I watch her stuff her face with pasta. Also, I will help you sleuth!!’

‘No, thank you. Hubert and I work best alone.’

Glenn pressed play looking extremely pleased with himself. ‘My own genius astounds me at times! When Boromir dies, let’s all cry about the stuff we’ve repressed and feel better afterwards. Oh, By! I forgot to mention, Mercedes made you a _huge_ crème caramel! It’s in the fridge. I’ll get you some when you finish your dinner. But you have to share with everyone!’

Byleth’s eyes widened with surprise and delight. It was glorious.

* * *

Dimitri cast a glance back before he left to take his turn in the shower. Edelgard and Glenn sat on either side of Byleth. Edelgard leaned her head on Byleth’s shoulder. Jealousy stung at the sight of Glenn and Byleth’s hands linking on Glenn’s thigh. Her fingers spread to intertwine with his larger ones, then she squeezed his hand tightly. Glenn stroked gentle circles on her skin with his thumb.

Dimitri wished he was the one holding her hand, but he couldn’t be the person to comfort her now.

The scent of strawberry yoghurt conjured his other insecurity. Lifting his face to the spray of water, he tried to focus on the sensation of cool water trickling down his throat, the pathways created by the contoured muscles on his body… but it wasn’t enough. He could imagine Byleth so vividly, right where he stood now. Dimitri lost himself in his slightly guilt-ridden but irresistible fantasy of Byleth’s nakedness, how the water spilled over her body. The vision made his stomach plunge with desire.

They were childhood friends. Byleth visited Glenn and Felix at the house often; it wasn’t so strange that Byleth was familiar with something like Glenn’s shower gel. Deep down, Dimitri believed that their relationship wasn’t like that anymore, but Glenn was the first person Byleth had been with…

In a way, it felt natural that Byleth lost her virginity to the person to whom she felt closest. Glenn’s good looks and easy charisma made Dimitri both look up to and envy the older boy. Even Sylvain couldn’t seem to match up to Glenn. He was always the one who made Byleth happiest.

That was why Dimitri’s fantasy warped over and over between the superimposing figures who joined her in the shower.

Glenn’s arms wound around Byleth’s waist, holding her back against his chest. Byleth leaned back and pulled his head down to kiss his smiling mouth. She looked so radiant. It was easy to visualise Glenn making Byleth happy everyday.

Byleth’s affectionate kisses changed. Grew ardent, insistent. Dimitri pulled away, a teasing grin on his face when a grumpy sound escaped her. Stroking her wet hair aside, fingertips lingering on her skin, Dimitri kissed her lovely throat, sucked gently on her skin…

Glenn kissed the purpling bruise on her throat, soothing her skin with his tongue. She spun around in his arms with a needy whimper, capturing his lips again. Byleth didn’t need to speak for Glenn to understand. His body already knew what she wanted from him. His hands already knew where she yearned for him to touch her.

Looking down, Dimitri saw long strands of her dark hair on the shower tiles. There were reminders of her presence everywhere. Her belongings were strewn on the sink among Glenn’s; her earrings, hairbrush, the cherry-coloured lip gloss she wore most days; her bikini hung to dry over the side of the bathtub.

As if it was a familiar, comfortable space. Like it was natural for her to be there… belong there.

Dimitri wished those thoughts didn’t hurt as much as they did.

The lamp on the dresser illuminated her in its dim glow. She was seated on a stool at the kitchen counter, gazing absentmindedly at something only her eyes could see.

‘Byleth.’ Her eyes lost the dream-like sheen of reverie and she turned her head towards him. ‘What happened to the others?’ Somehow, that felt like a legitimate question since Glenn was the one left in charge.

‘All asleep, except Felix. I thought I’d wait for you here. I… may have eaten some more pudding…’

She was waiting for him?

‘Can we talk a little, please? If it’s not too much…’

It was claustrophobic in the dim room. His headache and edginess were probably, at least partially, because he only had a single cigarette all day, which was in the morning. So many hours ago…

‘We can. Will you come outside with me while I smoke?’

‘I will.’ Clever Byleth brought out her used dish as an ashtray. He’d wash afterwards.

The end of the fifth day since he met Byleth. The beginning of the sixth. How had his love grown so intense in the space of those few days? They sat side by side on the front doorstep, looking out at the still, undisturbed cul-de-sac; dark except for the street lamps and the neighbours’ porch lights. There were no sounds besides his quiet inhales and exhales. Dimitri made sure to sit downwind of her, so he wouldn’t get smoke in Byleth’s face. It was a consideration that rarely occurred to him in the past, but today it came instinctively. Byleth was a good non-smoking smoking companion. She let him take his time and grow more relaxed before she began to talk.

Byleth looked him directly in the eyes when she apologised. She didn’t intend to avoid facing his emotions, whatever they might be. Dimitri admired her for brave things like that, which she did as a simple matter of course. ‘Please forgive me. I was busy feeling sorry for myself, I didn’t realise that you overheard… all those things. I left you with all that in the past hour or two… I’m sorrier than my face is capable of showing.’ The bitter self-hatred in her eyes took Dimitri aback. ‘You were the first person I owed an explanation to. I’m sorry. I didn’t use you, please believe me. I don’t want to hurt you. I’d understand if you want me to keep my distance from now on.’

‘I don’t want that.’

Dimitri was the calmest he had been all day. They were finally alone together, and it was idyllic. He had waited and hoped for this all day.

‘I didn’t want to make things worse for you, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave you,’ he confessed. ‘I was the one who caused that misunderstanding. You were the one who was hurt because of it. I’ll go if you don’t want me here.’

‘No, please,’ Byleth’s voice rose slightly in agitation. ‘I’m sorry— I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. You weren’t at fault for any of that! It was all me and Sylvain. I’m not lying. You had nothing to do with the cause. I’m glad you didn’t leave… please don’t go, ok?’ She gave him one of her most mesmeric smiles and Dimitri felt himself fall even deeper in love.

‘I don’t understand,’ he murmured half to himself.

Worry returned to her eyes, uncertain of what he intended to say. ‘What don’t you…?’

‘How could someone ever want anything else when they have you?’

Byleth’s eyes shimmered and she blinked, he saw the wetness gather beneath her long eyelashes. ‘Dimitri, thank you… You won’t feel the same way if you knew everything about me. But no one has said something like that to me before… hearing that made me so… so happy. Thank you.’

Byleth sobbed even harder as each arrow flew; her face was drenched and swollen from unending streams of tears. It wasn’t a scene he had particularly dwelt on before. For the first time, Dimitri felt a poignant sense of tragedy in Boromir’s desperation. Arrow after cruel arrow piercing into his body until he was finally brought to his knees…

‘Huh,’ Felix said in a half-amused tone. ‘Somehow, I thought there’d be something different about Byleth’s crying today. That was literally just the same as usual.’

Hilda and Byleth slept in Felix’s room. Edelgard kicked Linhardt until he begrudgingly ceded half of Glenn’s bed. Dimitri, Felix and Glenn bunkered down in the theatre/makeshift yurt with mattresses. Glenn tried to snuggle up to Felix in his sleep and got a violent elbow in the ribs. So he rolled over and curled up against Dimitri’s side instead.

When Dimitri woke up, Felix and Glenn had already risen and disappeared. Someone had placed a soft toy on the pillow, beside his head. He looked seriously into the glass eyes. It was a brown boar with soft fluffy fur and a rather cute smiling mouth beneath his snout.

Dimitri took the boar with him when he followed the sound of clattering cooking utensils and voices to the kitchen.

‘GOOD MORNING, SLEEPING CUTIE!’ Hilda shrieked at the top of her voice, followed by various greetings from the others. Dimitri searched for Byleth immediately and spotted her at the far end of the kitchen. She gave him a smile before Edelgard demanded her attention for something.

‘She’s already consumed a scary amount of sugar,’ Holst informed Dimitri from the stove, where he was starting to cook pancakes.

‘I recommend against drinking that disgusting pink smoothie in the blender. Pretty sure at least one of the ingredients was hallucinogenic,’ added Felix. ‘We have normal people drinks. Help yourself.’

Linhardt was seated at the counter, happily drinking a giant iced coffee. ‘Dimitri, ask Byleth to make you one of these - she makes the best soy iced coffee. Knowing I was going to have one today is the only motivation I had for returning to waking consciousness.’

Byleth heard him from where she was making iced coffee for Glenn, Edelgard and herself. ‘Would you like one, Dimitri?’

Would he ever!!! Something Byleth made for him with her own hands! ‘Yes please.’

‘I see you’ve met our little friend,’ Glenn announced from his spot at the counter, where he had a slew of ingredients spread out around him. ‘That handsome young fellow is Bruno the Boar. By’s favourite toy! He came along for the party, but Bernadetta took him with her when she retreated to Felix’s room. Anyway…’ Glenn was already grinning in anticipation of his own joke. ‘Do you know what Bruno’s favourite poem by Dylan Thomas is?’

‘No. What is it?’ Dimitri asked, raising Bruno to eye level.

‘The BOARS of Summer.’ Glenn cackled hysterically at his own hilarity, while the others laughed at him.

‘Don’t tell me he tried Hilda’s smoothie too,’ Holst sighed, expertly flipping a pancake.

‘No, he’s just embarrassing,’ Felix replied, rolling his eyes with distaste.

‘I’m just getting you guys warmed up!’ Glenn declared, entering a power stance. ‘After breakfast, all this fooling around has to end— only two more days until Interhigh Qualifiers on Wednesday! Time to get fired up!!!’

Felix fired up instantly.

‘But first, breakfast! Dimitri, I am in the process of preparing Byleth’s favourite breakfast. An original culinary creation by yours truly, featuring her favourite flavours: chocolate and cherry~ It consists of my special homemade cherry ripple coconut yoghurt frozen parfait, granola, Morello cherries, sour raspberry sauce, all drowned in tasty cold Milo!!! Want some?!?!’

‘It’s really delicious,’ Byleth backed him up, watching her breakfast being constructed with a greedy expression.

‘Or you can let those odd creatures eat their slop, and eat my special lemon poppyseed pancakes instead,’ Holst said with a wink. ‘That’s what the rest of us are eating. What’s your survival instinct telling you, Blaiddyd?’

* * *

> _Name:_ Claude von Riegan
> 
> _Position:_ Opposite Hitter (Captain)
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 1
> 
> _Height:_ 175 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 65 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 24th Blue Sea Moon (age 18)
> 
> _Likes:_ Tactical scheming, parties, teasing Felix and Ingrid
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Discrimination, leaving things to chance
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘No time like the present.’

> _Name:_ Ashe Ubert
> 
> _Position:_ Libero
> 
> _Jersey no:_ 12
> 
> _Height:_ 164 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ 57 kg
> 
> _Birthday:_ 17th Wyvern Moon (age 16)
> 
> _Likes:_ Travel blogs, cooking, violets
> 
> _Dislikes:_ Horror films, the supernatural (except the Goddess)
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘Every battle is a chance to grow.’

> _Name:_ Sylvain Gautier
> 
> _Position:_ WAG (Wives and Girlfriends)
> 
> _Height:_ 186 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ ~
> 
> _Birthday:_ 5th Garland Moon (age 20)
> 
> _Likes:_ Art museums, board games, the cute manager
> 
> _Dislikes:_ When the manager ignores my declarations of love from the stands :(
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘I’m pretty much perfect.’

> _Name:_ Ingrid Brandl Galatea
> 
> _Position:_ Alpha WAG, Byleth’s enforcer
> 
> _Height:_ 165 cm
> 
> _Weight:_ smashed scales in rage
> 
> _Birthday:_ 4th Guardian Moon (age 19)
> 
> _Likes:_ My horse Minerva, reading books (not e-books), sexy authority figures like Claude♥
> 
> _Dislikes:_ World hunger, extravagance
> 
> _Favourite saying:_ ‘You don’t work, you don’t eat!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated always xx


	7. The Second Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of Day 2 in the Enbarr Metropolis Qualifiers. Linhardt the genius setter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Basic Gameplay:** [diagram](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/48/74/334874de39dd046ca8b210c9a4c8b8aa.jpg)  
> 1\. A standard match is played best-of-3 “sets”. The first team to reach 25 points (by at least 2-point margin) wins the “set”. Need 2 sets to win the match.  
> 2\. Whenever the ball goes over the net, it must be returned using no more than 3 touches. The basic sequence is 1) dig/bump to get the ball to the setter, 2) setter sets to a hitter, 3) hitter spikes. The ideal scenario is for the setter to get the 2nd touch. Otherwise, just flail and get the ball over the net somehow haha  
> 3\. A rally begins when the ball is served. It ends when a team "wins" the rally by making a kill (grounding the ball in the opponent's court), or if a team makes a fault and "loses" the rally. The team that wins the rally serves to start the next rally. Common faults: hitting the ball out of bounds, touching the net during play (net foul), same player touches the ball twice in a row.
> 
> Abbreviations:  
> MB = Middle Blocker, OPP = Opposite Hitter (Right Wing-spiker), OH = Outside Hitter (Left Wing-spiker), S = Setter, L = Libero
> 
> Volleyball court: [diagram](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/69/62/ae696200352a50284f8c4b91ff0fe44f.jpg)  
> This is how I imagine their [uniform](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3c/06/28/3c0628cde0ee52006d13f25e32c1909f.png)  
> Second video in the tweet 'Tsukki is still a growing boy' [Block](https://twitter.com/kurxken/status/754486159481442304) this is Glenn's job haha  
> 

**eagles & demons ** 🏐

_Claude added you to the conversation._

_Claude:_ Dimitri, welcome to the vball chat

 _Glenn:_ the island of men

 _Holst:_ Yeah the boys!!!

 _Glenn:_ BOYYYYYYZ

 _Holst:_ and Byleth

 _Glenn:_ she is the dolphin that plays in the ocean around the island of men

 _Claude:_ She muted us because we discuss too many things

 _Claude:_ Felix, Lin and Ashe also muted us. oho but they’re reading now

 _Holst:_ Who will explain the situation to Dimitri?

 _Glenn:_ I VOLUNTEER

 _Glenn:_ Dimitri

 _Glenn:_ Dimitri??? reply to me </3

> _Dimitri:_ Sorry I was waiting for you to explain

_Glenn:_ ohhhh :))))) that’s ok then

 _Glenn:_ listen well, my boy. match days are rife with peril, deceit and treachery. amidst the chaos and distraction, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important

 _Glenn:_ after our harsh realisations last year, we decided we will never feel such ignominy, jealousy and outrage again. that is how Operation WINGUARD came into being

 _Glenn:_ do you know what Operation WINGUARD is, Dimitri?

> _Dimitri:_ Nope

_Glenn:_ good because it’s top secret. the objective of Operation WINGUARD is in its name. WIN everything and GUARD Byleth!!!!!!

> _Dimitri:_ Why are we guarding Byleth?

_Glenn:_ because she’s our precious little baby cat

 _Felix:_ Kitten

 _Glenn:_ …

 _Glenn:_ our manager will be in a stadium full of BOYS from ENEMY schools!!!! they’ll do anything to get close to her, flirt with her, Seiros forbid ask for her number. we’ve seen it all before!

 _Glenn:_ they are vicious hunters who will chase the baby fox and make the bloodhounds rip her to shreds

 _Glenn:_ if it isn’t obvious to anyone, By is the baby fox in my dark analogy

 _Claude:_ Thanks for clarifying

 _Glenn:_ np

 _Glenn:_ did you google baby fox, Felix?

 _Glenn:_ there’s no special name ahahahahaha

 _Felix:_ Wow you really showed me

 _Ashe:_ Amazing

 _Claude:_ Got him

 _Linhardt:_ Well done

 _Holst:_ Proud of you

 _Glenn:_ thanks guys

 _Glenn:_ Dimitri, do you understand our fears?

> _Dimitri:_ I understand
> 
> _Dimitri:_ I’ll guard Byleth with my life

_Holst:_ Dimitri, this is why you're an asset to this team

* * *

> **ENBARR METROPOLIS QUALIFIERS FOR THE INTERHIGH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT**
> 
> Mon 12th - Wed 14th Blue Sea Moon (3 days)
> 
> *Last year’s top 16 schools do not play until 3rd round.
> 
> _Day 1 / First Round:_ Eliminations. 180+ schools competed, 32 schools advanced.
> 
> _Day 2 / Second Round, Third Round, Fourth Round, Quarterfinals_
> 
> 32 schools form **4 Divisions** , each sub-divided into 4 Blocks, i.e. **16 Blocks** of 2 schools.
> 
>   * Second Round: Match between the two schools in each Block. Winner advances.
>   * Third Round: The 16 advancing teams match-up against the Top 16 schools. Winners advance.
>   * Fourth Round: Division elimination matches. 2 out of 4 schools advance from each Division.
>   * Quarterfinals: Match for top spot in the Division. The top schools from each Division advance to Day 3.
> 

> 
> _Day 3: Top 4 Round-Robin:_ Every school has to play the other 3 schools once. The school that wins the most games is ranked 1st. The top 2 teams will represent the Enbarr Metropolitan District at the Interhigh.

* * *

A shy first year named Ignatz Victor was the school magazine’s photographer. Ferdinand was writing an article on the Eagles for the _Garreg Mach Gazette_ and charged Ignatz with the task. The unassuming boy was a talented photographer, Byleth informed Dimitri. Ignatz was in high demand as a hired photographer for social events, birthday parties, indie weddings and so forth. He had a knack for candids from flattering perspectives.

Glenn ruined several of Ignatz’s “candids” with background cameos, doing things like pretending to climb into a big bin of volleyballs, blatantly checking out Byleth’s ass, and looking down the front of his own track pants. When his mischief was eventually detected, Glenn was admonished by Byleth for upsetting poor Ignatz.

Glenn was hurt. He slouched off sadly and squatted down in a corner to sulk. Byleth was sad too, so she purchased him a yoghurt drink from the vending machine. The others watched with wry amusement as Byleth approached Glenn in his corner. She held her peace offering out to his huddled form.

‘You hurt my feelings. Think you can just get back into my good graces with bribery?!?!’

‘…Yes?’

‘Hmph.’

Glenn turned his face away from Byleth, but snatched the bottle from her hand all the same. She waited while he moodily drank it…

Suddenly, Glenn sprang into the air with a howl, galvanised by yoghurt! Then he got down on the floor and did some vigorous pushups on his knuckles, accompanied by loud “manly” huffing and puffing.

When he leapt back to his feet, Glenn slung his arm around Byleth’s shoulders and they marched back to join the team. Peace was restored to the land.

There came the familiar roiling of anticipation and mild nausea in the pit of his stomach. The moment he stepped onto the court, the anxiety would dissipate, but until then he felt uncomfortable and vaguely ill. His usually noisy teammates were quiet for once, talking in low voices or entering their own solitary, pre-match headspaces.

Linhardt was stretched out on one of the locker room benches, eyes shut and head resting on his folded arms. Jeritza stood near Lin and monologued at him. An understanding existed between them that Linhardt was not asleep but simply in sleep mode. They were two very different things, and Linhardt was perfectly capable of listening and absorbing information while in the latter state of consciousness.

Felix was off on his own with his AirPods in. He looked deceptively calm, despite being about to strike terror into the hearts of an entire stadium.

Glenn sat on the floor across from Dimitri, his back against the lockers, talking quietly to Byleth while she taped his fingers for him. Alois Rangeld, the jovial team advisor, came over to help Holst do the same.

‘Noooo! I want _Byleth_ to do it!’

‘Now, now! Byleth doesn’t have time to do this for all of you.’

‘Errr, but she’s literally our manager. If she doesn’t have time for me, it means she’s not doing her job properly!’

Byleth chose to ignore that. Mr Rangeld exploded into a raucous, booming laugh and proceeded with the task. Glenn flashed Holst a smug smirk and received a rude hand gesture in return.

As middle blockers, Glenn and Holst were the players whose fingers took the hardest direct hits from the ball. Byleth taped Glenn’s index and middle fingers using a criss-cross technique, from his finger joints to his knuckles, which would help prevent them bending backwards. She neatly taped the ring finger and pinkie of his left hand together, placing soft gauze between them to prevent sliding and rubbing. It would also combine the strength of his weakest fingers, in case of glancing hits to the edge of his hand. Lastly, she taped Glenn’s fingertips to prevent bleeding around his nails from intense impact.

Byleth would accompany Jeritza on the bench, so she had a red and black team jacket of her own to identify her as their manager. Her blue-black hair was in a high ponytail at the back of her head. Dorothea had tied it using a long red ribbon so Byleth’s hair would match the cheerleaders’. Dimitri could see the curve of her ears, the gold piercings glittering under the bright changing room lights. The back of her neck was visible over a hint of the white school shirt collar. That distracted Dimitri from his discomfort and he drifted into a wonderful daydream instead. A wishful reality in which he was able to act on his longing… gently brushing aside Byleth’s long hair, the trailing ribbon ends, breathing in the scent of her skin… lowering his head and kissing her neck, hearing Byleth's breath catch…

‘Dimitri?’

It was his turn.

Byleth had come over and was sitting crosslegged on the floor in front of him. He must have stared at her like a dolt for too long. There was a humorous expression on her face as she held out her hand. Feeling a little embarrassed, Dimitri gave her his hand. She shuffled closer to get comfortable and her knees pressed up against his.

As a hitter, Dimitri had to make hard contact with the ball, so Byleth focussed on taping his finger joints for added strength and protection. How unfair that Byleth could be so unfazed by holding his hand when touching her _did things_ to Dimitri’s heart!

Byleth proceeded to do more things to his heart when she laid his hand down on her thigh each time, picking up the scissors to cut the tape safely. Then she cut short pieces of tape and secured them firmly to his fingertips. She worked in silence and he was grateful that she didn’t feel the need to make conversation.

Byleth seemed to understand that he wasn't in the best frame of mind for talking just then. Watching her deft but careful movements made him feel relaxed. As if she helped him slow down to her own calm, steady pace. His heart gradually stopped racing. Byleth’s touch soothed him, and his cluttered mind emptied as he released his breath in a long exhale.

She was bliss. Dimitri felt so at ease.

‘Done.’

She gave him a small smile, placed his hand on his own leg, and started rising to her feet. Acting on impulse, he caught her hand again. Her blue eyes betrayed surprise as they darted back to his face.

‘Thank you,’ Dimitri said sincerely, relinquishing her hand with reluctance.

Byleth’s eyes grew tender and she patted him softly on the head. ‘You’re welcome.’

* * *

**Third Round, Block 8:** Garreg Mach Private Academy v St. Macuil Technical College

8th / Garreg Mach: #1 Riegan (OPP), #2 Goneril (MB), #3 G. Fraldarius (MB), #5 Hevring (S), #7 Blaiddyd (OH), #9 F. Fraldarius (OH), #12 Ubert (L)

St. Macuil: #1 (S), #3 (OH), #5 (MB), #6 (L), #10 (OPP), #11 (OH), #14 (MB)

Enbarr Stadium housed four volleyball courts, so four matches were taking place simultaneously. The Top 16’s appearance had drawn in an impressive crowd. Garreg Mach’s cheer section was very enthusiastic, but disciplined! By executive order of Captain Dorothea Arnault, there was to be no cacophonous noisemaking in their esteemed section. The students were only allowed inflatable thunder sticks, and conscripted members of the orchestra’s percussion section had brought drums.

Dorothea flirted with the stadium’s head of security and convinced him to impose a stadium-wide ban on obnoxious items like horns and vuvuzelas, which all the guards did with zeal.

Up in the stands, Hilda commandeered a drum and started off a 'pretty sick beat' (Claude). The drummers and thunder stick wielders joined in. In the pause between refrains, the cheerleaders yelled out ‘Let’s go!’, and created a short rhythmic cheer that the other students and audience members easily picked up. St. Macuil’s cheer team and wordier chant failed miserably in their effort to destabilise Dorothea’s followers.

‘Not bad,’ Glenn remarked. ‘A chant is a deceptively simple thing, but designing one takes skill. I’m willing to appreciate this about Dorothea. Music students make good cheer captains. I consider us fortunate she can only sing. Otherwise, she’d be too busy using her brain to be a cheerleader…’

‘Maybe if you stopped saying wankery shit like that, you two might actually get along,’ Holst said with a sigh.

The slight to his honour was too much for Glenn to take. ‘That wasn’t even— Dimitriiii, see how they all misrepresent me! I’m constantly being maligned under false assumptions!!! I said she has skill! I said she only sings, because she doesn’t play an instrument. When I said she’d be busy using her brain, I clearly meant _she has one_ in order to be busy playing an imaginary instrument!!! Practicing an instrument takes time and brain, hence why she’d have less time and brain to be a cheerleader! I didn’t undermine her brain! IF THAT WAS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT, MAYBE THAT SAYS MORE ABOUT YOU, HOLST?!?! YEAH, FUCK YOU! I was talking about Dorothea who uses her brain as a cheerleader in her free time, and therefore doesn’t use her brain OR her free time practicing an instrument… ugh…’ Glenn went hoarse, having run out of breath before even making it off the bench. ‘Do you see, Dimitri?’ he croaked plaintively, accepting a water bottle from a giggling Byleth.

Glenn _was_ right!

‘You’re right.’

‘Glenn’s right,’ Linhardt unexpectedly backed him up.

‘Yeah, he’s right,’ Felix added his voice.

Glenn’s jaw dropped in shock, unused to receiving actual support. He placed an emotional hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. ‘Dimitri, I think your arrival signalled a golden era in my life. Please continue to take care of me and set a wise example to your fellow juniors.’

‘The strongest teams get to stay on the court the longest,’ their brilliant and mysterious manager announced. ‘You’re going to win this match, and the next, and the next. You’ll keep winning. All the way to the top!!! Play with the intent to win! Because if you don’t intend to win, we’re all awake this early in the morning for no reason…’

Byleth grinned at them all, and Dimitri felt certain he heard a collective ~doki doki~ from their hearts. Everyone swarmed her for good luck hugs. Dimitri was last in line again, but he realised being last was actually the best. It meant he didn’t have to feel rushed by someone waiting behind him!

So, much to his delight, Dimitri got a slightly longer hug from her. Byleth tilted her face up to him and smiled, her arms around his waist and her chin pressed against his chest.

‘Good luck, Dimitri. I’ll be cheering for you!’

Claude won the toss. Linhardt would serve to start the match.

As the team walked onto the court, Glenn turned to their supporters and raised his arms into the air, eliciting a thunderous wave of screams that reached the other end of the stadium. Glenn spun back around, looking extremely pleased with himself. Felix went straight to his position at front left and began staring down the player across the net, St. Macuil’s vice-captain.

Linhardt looked faintly bored as he shuffled to the serving area at right back. The others took their starting formation: Glenn was at centre back, next to Dimitri at left back. Holst took centre position in front of the net. Claude took his position at front right, opposite Linhardt.

Suddenly, the Garreg Mach cheer section went totally silent. Dead silent. Glenn snickered but kept facing forward. Along with St. Macuil’s surprised audience, Dimitri couldn’t resist a quick backwards glance.

Linhardt’s hand was raised by his head.

He lowered it. The referee’s whistle blew. Taking a couple of rather graceful steps, Linhardt served the ball and they burst out of their positions, while the other team yelled out to their back row receivers.

All for naught. The ball suddenly veered left of its expected course and dropped lightly to the court, in spite of the libero’s heroic effort to reach it.

The applause was deafening, punctuated by the thrilled exclamations of the two announcers. ‘Garreg Mach’s #5, Linhardt von Hevring starts off the match with a no-touch service ace! Hevring was hailed as a genius setter when he arrived on the scene…’

‘…first year student who cemented his place as Garreg Mach’s main setter last year! The youngest player in a Nationals line-up…’

‘ONE MORE, LINNY BABYYYY!!! YOUUUUU CAN DOOOOO IT!!!!’ Hilda’s screech sounded over the din and made them all snort, even Felix. The irrepressible high spirits surrounding them were uplifting. Dimitri’s last remnants of anxiety were ripped away.

Linhardt raised his hand. The snap of silence echoed through the stadium, even drawing eyes away from other matches.

The ball soared over the net again.

‘SERVICE ACE!!! If the first one didn’t crush St. Macuil’s spirits, this one did!’

Dimitri and Felix were closest to the team bench, so Dimitri was able to see Jeritza smile for the first time since they had met. Byleth was cheering Lin’s name at the top of her voice.

Silence.

‘AND ANOTHER ONE! That’s three service aces from Garreg Mach’s setter, Linhardt von Hevring!’

‘Can he make it four in a row with his jump floaters?’

Silence.

‘HE CANNNNNN!!!’

‘Surely not five?!’

Dimitri was aware that Linhardt was talented, more so than he bothered to reveal in practice. But he was also used to seeing Ashe, Claude and sometimes Glenn receive Linhardt’s serves during practice. Dimitri legitimately wasn’t sure if Linhardt hadn’t been trying, or whether Claude and Ashe were more brilliant receivers than he had realised.

Even then, Linhardt didn’t look anymore enthused than he did before he had four service aces to his name…

‘STOP SHOWING OFF! I’M GETTING BORED!!!!!!!’

It was nearly a physical sensation when St. Macuil’s dismay transformed into burning ire. The dark psychic energy creeping around Linhardt trained on Felix in a deadly high-powered beam.

Jeritza made the decision never to smile again.

‘And so it begins,’ Glenn declared in a deep, cinematic voice.

The crowd was silent already so Linhardt saved a little extra energy. The serve went over the net, and this time, instead of loitering at the back with lazy confidence, Linhardt scurried over the attack line into setting position between front centre and right. Claude retreated to cover right back and centre. Felix fell back slightly on the left wing to help Claude and Dimitri receive, while Glenn dashed up the front.

The easy serve was bumped up to the setter, who immediately set up a quick with one of the left wing spikers. Already four points behind, St. Macuil’s players were keen to use the opportunity presented by Linhardt’s extremely average serve. Claude was prepared for this, and St. Macuil’s #11 knew to avoid the Schemer Captain at all possible times. He had Holst right in front of him, and Glenn was about to jump up and block the centre.

Still, St. Macuil's didn’t make it all the way to the Third Round by being shit. Skilfully angling his body as if intending to hit straight past Holst’s block, #11 aimed a sharp cross shot in the opposite direction towards Felix. By the time he actually hit the ball and revealed its course, it was a tough angle for Glenn to react to in his position…

Just before #11’s hand made contact with the ball, Glenn’s arms swung across while his body was mid-air in vertical jump, and slammed the ball straight into the ground!

The audience erupted with the loudest, most awestruck cheers of the day.

‘AHAHAHAHA!!!!! Felix! FELIX! Did you see that?! Did you see my amazing block?!?!’

‘…I did. It was amazing.’

‘It was just a guess though!!!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated xx


	8. Glenn and the Demon Manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dramatic quarterfinals v "The Mercurius Boys". A memory of Byleth. The enigma of Glenn Fraldarius. Linhardt’s dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some videos for your enjoyment & to help visualise the game!
> 
> Imagine Lin's quicks with Felix and Dimitri haha: [Quick2](https://youtu.be/FQlze7JTTc4?t=33)  
> This would be like Ashe: [Libero](https://youtu.be/TCZWWYtkhPc?t=206)  
> When Glenn gets serious: [Jump Serve](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QupCgWtuLBg)  
> 

_Third Round:_ **Garreg Mach** v St. Macuil Tech / 2-0 (25-12, 25-14)

 _Fourth Round:_ **Garreg Mach** v Enbarr East / 2-1 (25-20, 28-30, 25-18)

Byleth disappeared to check the results from the other matches. She returned to inform them that their quarterfinals opponents would be the 3rd seeded Mercurius Private Boys School.

‘They call themselves the… pffffft… Mercurius Boys!’ Ashe choked, making them all laugh.

‘They give me intense ~elite private school cishet male vibes,’ Holst said, stripping off his drenched jersey and mopping his sweaty chest with a towel.

‘That describes you, and most of our own team too,’ Claude pointed out wryly. ‘Don’t discriminate, bro.’

‘Claude, I contest _your_ discriminatory labelling on behalf of my teammates!!!’ Glenn jumped in at once. ‘Our friends are elite private school cishet males whose shared value is _transcending_ the aforementioned classification. In pursuit of complex _individuality_. A process that occurs at a deep, metaphysical level! You can’t just reduce them to their sexual identity! Byleth and I will also speak in defence of the Mercurius Boys and their completely valid quest for conformity. By! Hit me, baby!’

Byleth began a droll oration with cheeky curl of her lip. ‘All Mercurius Boys shall own the requisite RayBans Clubmasters, their wardrobes shall consist of no less than 80% Fred Perry, 100% of their pastel-coloured chinos shall end above the ankle…’

‘…and their Lacoste sneakers shall be worn with no socks,’ Dimitri couldn’t help adding, surprising himself with his own snark.

Byleth and Glenn snorted with laughter and simultaneously praised him, ‘Nice, Dimitri!!!’

‘All Mercurius Boys,’ Glenn continued in a solemn, emphatic manner, ‘shall get their hair cut by a _barber_. Not a barber as in the archetype of that esteemed gendered profession, who must be at minimum 60 years old, and offer you grappa distilled in his garden shed along with your standard price mens cut. I’m talking a _barber;_ cishet male, under 35, sporting a pompadour and an undercut sharper than his glinting cut-throat razor, who keeps his combs and shit in Mason jars, and whose barbershop decor channels ~aesthetic sexism à la vintage Playboy magazines.’

Holst was chuckling, but Claude looked as if listening to them hurt his brain.

‘And,’ Byleth said, eyes glistening with mirth, ‘their Tinder profiles shall include their postcodes…’

‘HAHAHAHAHAHA!’ Glenn burst into uncontrollable laughter, then smothered his face on Byleth’s shoulder and started shaking violently. Glenn’s convulsions made Byleth laugh at him and her own joke.

‘Byleth, literally no one else gets that joke,’ Holst sighed, but began laughing helplessly at the sight of the hysterical pair. ‘Anyway, Claude. My point is that there exists such a thing as _un-ironic_ cishet male culture, which goes beyond sexual identity to manifest personality.’

‘Holst, have you been reading the blurb of _Epistemology of the Closet_ again?’ Glenn snickered, then squawked when Holst’s sweat-drenched towel smacked him in the face. ‘Urrrgrhhhhfbhjdsfb, that went in my mouth!!!’

‘Serves you right for being a condescending asshole. I’m not stupid.’

‘Dimitriiiii… alright fine, I _was_ calling him stupid… OWWW!!!!!’

Failing to find a clean towel, Glenn tried to wipe his tongue on Byleth’s jacket and got an accidental elbow to the face. He curled up into a ball of agony on the floor.

‘Alright, so the plan’s changed.’ Jeritza began scribbling on the whiteboard.

Linhardt had assessed his reserves and calculated that he could not begin the service, lest he run out of stamina for his actual job.

‘Going into a third set last round ruined me. I really wanted to win in two sets, so I pushed myself past my allotted stamina.’ He yawned and looked extremely morose. ‘I’m going to find somewhere peaceful for a nap. I’ll be back… later.’

Linhardt warped away before anyone could stop him.

* * *

_Division 2, Quarterfinals:_

Mercurius Private Boys School v Garreg Mach Private Academy

3rd / Mercurius: #1 (S), #4 (OH), #5 (OPP), #6 (L), #10 (OH), #11 (MB), #12 (MB)

8th / Garreg Mach: #1 Riegan (OPP), #2 Goneril (MB), #3 G. Fraldarius (MB), #5 Hevring (S), #7 Blaiddyd (OH), #9 F. Fraldarius (OH), #12 Ubert (L)

Glenn started at front right, matched up against the Mercurius Boys’ ace, #10. Glenn wasn’t over his amusement yet, and looked away to the left to avoid laughing in the Boy’s face. Unfortunately, he made eye contact with Byleth.

An explosive snort escaped Glenn and he clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle himself. On the bench, Byleth bit her lip to hold back her own laugh. The Boys gave Glenn strange, scornful looks, then followed the direction of his gaze…

Dimitri witnessed the instant every single one of the Mercurius Boys fell in love with Byleth.

Glenn was cured of his irrepressible humour instantly. The Eagles exchanged grim looks. They had nearly forgotten Operation WINGUARD. It was time to prove themselves and show Byleth why she was _their_ manager…

Glenn put the fear of Fraldarius into the Mercurius Boys. They quickly identified him as their worst nightmare; glimpsed the demon beneath his antics. Even though Glenn was, at that very moment, dancing gleefully on the spot to the cheerleaders’ chant of his name. Even _Dorothea_ joined in the chanting!

Glenn’s intuitive blocks got their score to 3-0 before the second hitter, Boy #4, got a wipe off Holst’s block. After that, Mercurius’s captain, their setter, ploughed through with a fierce serve that nearly took Ashe’s arms off.

Lionhearted Ashe was undaunted. He got the next serve up in a brilliant arc towards Linhardt. That gave Dimitri his chance.

Dimitri and Linhardt were on their way to a good understanding of each other, but they’d only been playing together for a week. Their situation was frankly unreal. They hadn’t practised any set plays or developed signals between them. Their quick attacks were, quite literally, done on the fly.

Dimitri was under no illusions: quicks were only possible for them because of Lin’s skill. Since they couldn’t communicate, Dimitri needed to create options in the air. Linhardt had milliseconds to spot Dimitri in flight, analyse the opponent’s defence, guess Dimitri’s likely intention, perform his RPG god-esque simulations, calculate their chance of success, then commit to giving Dimitri the set. If those elements came together, they didn’t need to communicate at all.

Dimitri lent his strength and attacked with the conviction that the ball would come.

Linhardt just had the monumental, ambitious task of executing the perfect set…

Dimitri took to the air and spiked with all his strength on the course he felt would break through.

Then, the incredible rush…

Linhardt’s fast, pinpoint set came precisely to his hand. Dimitri’s powerful spike grounded the ball with a thunderous crash. Then it rocketed into the stands over a wave of ducking heads, and was caught by a slack-jawed man at the back.

There was a pause before the mildly shocked referee blew the whistle for the point.

‘AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!’ Hilda’s shriek split the silence.

Then the Garreg Mach supporters erupted. Glenn became airborne, flinging himself across the court at Dimitri, who reflexively caught him in a bridal carry.

‘DIMITRI, YOU’RE SOOOO STRONG!!! I KNEW YOU WOULDN’T LET ME FALL~’ Glenn crowed in triumph, eliciting laughter and applause from both sides of the crowd.

Claude slapped Dimitri, Lin and Ashe on their backs, beaming from ear to ear. Felix wasn’t a fan of celebrating with physical contact, but Dimitri received a grin and nod of approval from their Great Ace!

Dimitri wasn’t fully conscious of all that, though. He was too enraptured by Byleth, who leapt to her feet and watched the ball fly. Eyes wide, her mouth formed a cute ‘O’ of excited wonder that nearly squeezed the life out of his adoring heart.

Time slowed just so Dimitri could drink in every detail of her.

Byleth’s head swung around, her long black hair floating, tangling with red ribbon. Her gaze fixed on Dimitri’s face, and her wordless praise crossed the distance to him like a deluge: he dazzled her, he made her proud, he thrilled her!!!

The gratification Dimitri felt from seeing Byleth was better than making the most miraculous kill. It was just that single, brief moment in time, but Dimitri was the object of Byleth’s every emotion. He was the one her eyes had looked for.

Exhilarated, captivated, Dimitri’s smile was for her. Byleth’s responding laugh of delight would be Dimitri’s most precious memory from that day.

* * *

Hilda and the loyal, energetic cheer squad were proving invaluable in keeping the team’s spirits up; sticking around to support them since the first match, four hours ago.

It was a school day, so Hilda wasn't meant to be there, but she persuaded i.e. terrorised Principal Seteth to make “manager-in-training” an official position.

Since only one manager was allowed on the bench, clever Hilda didn’t have to do any work. She could just attend the matches and support them from the stands!

Despite it being the quarterfinals, the mood around the stadium was lighter than during the previous matches. Perhaps because it was the final round for the day. Even the commentators eased up on their formality and made the occasional joke or humorous observation.

The Mercurius team turned out to be quite friendly and good-humoured. They were surprisingly fun to play. Though he took the piss out of them before, Glenn being Glenn ended up bonding with the Mercurius Boys across the net. He officially proclaimed them ‘good eggs’, even if they were ‘lads’. And that was how Glenn made some ‘ladsy’ new friends.

Despite their new-formed friendship, the Mercurius Boys were thankful when Glenn was rotated to the back row. Now he wasn’t chilling up the front with plenty of time to prepare his blocks! They breathed a sigh of relief… until they realised Glenn was serving.

Glenn didn’t need his audience to be silent.

The crowd’s voices and thunder sticks merged with drumrolls to form the rising wave of sound that accompanied Glenn as he tossed the ball high, then followed it into the air… suspended for a breath of silence while all eyes followed the ball’s course… and reached the crest with a deafening roar!

‘NO TOUCH ACE! No one could have touched that, anyway!’

‘How beautiful was his form in the air? You don’t often get middle blockers doing the flashy jump serves, especially not at school level. All-rounder doesn’t feel like the right word to describe Glenn Fraldarius, because it’s not just that he can do it all. He can do most of it at the top level.’

‘Which would be why he’s Adrestia’s #2 ranked middle blocker in boys’ school volleyball. Let’s see… 2 MVP titles for Top Blocker last year, awarded at the All-Adrestian and Spring High tournaments. Among the top 5 contenders for that title in every tournament besides Nationals! Selected to attend the National All Fódlan Junior Invitational Tournament the last two years, also attended by his little brother, Felix, _and_ Linhardt von Hevring last year!’

‘Garreg Mach hasn’t breached the top 4 in any tournaments the last few years, so I tend to forget that they usually have a star-studded team. Glenn Fraldarius’s record is impressive— putting up those stats despite his team not placing…’

Dimitri shot a glance at Glenn who was spinning the ball between his hands, preparing for his next serve. Dimitri hadn’t known about any of Glenn’s accomplishments. Not that most people would introduce themselves by listing every award they ever received. But it occurred to Dimitri that, despite his extroverted nature, Glenn rarely talked about himself. And even when he did, it was in an abstract, fragmentary manner.

Byleth was like that too.

Dimitri was an only child, but he began to understand Felix’s constant need to prove himself; his endless pursuit of strength. Felix complained about Glenn’s frivolous, devil-may-care ways, but he also looked up to and idolised his older brother.

That didn’t mean Felix was satisfied to remain inferior forever, though. Glenn was the person he wanted to surpass more than anyone else.

Glenn wasn’t oblivious to Felix’s endless competition with him. He just appeared to have no desire to compete against Felix. It was easy to see how proud he was of his little brother. And receiving praise from Glenn pleased Felix the most.

That was why Dimitri imagined competing against Glenn always left Felix frustrated and unfulfilled.

If Felix ever did surpass him, Glenn would probably just be genuinely happy.

Glenn seemed content to focus on his own journey, unconcerned by other people’s skill or whether they chose to pit themselves against him. No one was a threat to him.

That self-assurance and comfort in their own skin was what Dimitri admired, aspired towards and resented his father and Glenn for. It felt like they were larger than life. Impossible to defeat. As if that was just a simple fact of reality.

Glenn’s next jump serve was dug up by the Mercurius libero, and an attempted wipe came off Felix and Dimitri's block. However, Felix was the fastest player on the team. The thrilled audience watched on as Felix saved the day himself!

Byleth, Jeritza and the subs scattered as Felix made an electrifying running leap over the bench, and struck the ball furiously back over his head with his fist. It was an incredible return.

The ball came soaring towards Dimitri at the net. Felix managed to land with a safe dive roll before he collided with the sideline markers. Dimitri got the last touch with a hard wipe off the top of the three-person block against him. The ball soared off into the upper gallery.

The excited commentators’ voices came over the roar. ‘That’s the most dramatic save I’ve seen this year! A heroic effort from Garreg Mach’s speed-demon, #9 Felix Fraldarius, and spectacular follow-up from Garreg Mach’s new recruit, #7 Dimitri Blaiddyd!’

‘The Fraldarius brothers are crowd favourites here in the capital, and it’s easy to see why! That’s the audacity and fire that earns the younger Fraldarius his title of ace!’

* * *

‘This one’s for you, By!!!!!!’

‘SERVICE ACE!!!! #3 Glenn Fraldarius unleashes his Demonic Serve for the first time today! His self-proclaimed “magnum opus”! I heard he coined the name himself… Isn’t there a story behind that? And who’s By?!’

‘The popular myth— as I heard it last year— is that the inspiration of his serve is Garreg Mach’s manager! Their nickname for her is the Demon Manager!’

‘…Why do you think they call her that?!?!’

Dimitri spotted the commentators in the distance, peering towards Garreg Mach’s bench, curiously trying to catch a glimpse of Byleth.

Glenn pressed his fist to his chest with a heroic expression, then pointed at Byleth. Looking quietly amused, Byleth made a loveheart with her hands for Glenn. A collective ‘AWWWWWW’ filled the stadium.

‘Oooohhhhh, have we chanced upon a volleyball love story?! Popular, talented volleyball star falls in love with his beautiful, enigmatic team manager… but she may be hiding a dark occult secret…’

‘I’d watch that Netflix show!!!’

‘Same! It’s exactly what I need to fill the hole _The Vampire Diaries_ left in my world…’

Dimitri was jealous.

Dimitri was very, very jealous.

* * *

Of course, when things started going downhill, they went downhill fast.

Following a brilliant flying receive, Ashe flew right into Holst’s completely stationary leg, and suffered an indeterminate degree of blunt force trauma.

Two doctors confirmed that Ashe wasn’t concussed, which was objectively good news, and meant he could still play. However, his uncharacteristic hysterical giggling was cause for concern.

Jeritza decided to rest Ashe until the second set.

That was when Dimitri realised how much they had depended on Ashe this match. Everyone realised their team’s greatest weakness: Felix and Dimitri were shit at receiving.

Claude and Ashe were their lifelines. They didn’t just protect the court. They were the ones who got the ball to Linhardt, so Felix and Dimitri could score. Glenn ended up needing to fall back and help Claude, which left Holst to defend the entire net alone.

With Glenn out of action, the Mercurius Boys identified Felix as their biggest threat. He became the target of their entire defence. Linhardt could have just used Dimitri instead, but that wasn’t how it played out.

LIVE SCORE: Mercurius v Garreg Mach / 1-0 (25-17)

There was a brief interval before the second set.

The hot-headed Fraldarius and Linhardt were seated side by side on the bench, being lambasted by Jeritza. Their expressions were mutinous, which was totally expected from Felix, but totally unexpected from Lin.

‘Why did you keep setting to him?! The two of you just threw that whole set! Felix, you need to cool your head! You’re starting this set on the bench.’

‘WHAT?!?! NO, FUCK YOU! I REFUSE TO COME OFF!!!’

‘Felix, let’s get some fresh air,’ Byleth said in a cool voice that Dimitri noticed made everyone else wince.

‘I don’t WANT… fine…’ Felix traipsed off with Byleth, fuming but obedient.

Linhardt’s angry sigh reverberated through the bench.

‘Jeritza, I’ve explained this to you before. I don’t think you understand the position I’m in. There are only THREE outcomes when our simple-minded ace is throwing a tantrum! ONE: I give him the set, he gets a kill and his self-esteem is restored. TWO: I give him the set, he gets blocked again and he gets even more pissed off! THREE: I _don’t_ give him the set, upset him and he becomes totally unmanageable!!! The last one is the most tiresome. I refuse to deal with it.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated x


	9. Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri’s stepmother, Anselma. The pity party. Glenn's old photographs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor reference to underage drinking.

‘Dimitri. I didn’t know if you were home.’

The glass sliding door to the balcony was open. Anselma turned to look at him over her shoulder, a hazy cloud of cigarette smoke hovering around her.

‘Would you like to hang out for a little while?’

‘Sure.’

Dimitri stepped out onto the balcony, declining her offered cigarette with a shake of his head, and lighting one of his own instead. Standing a comfortable metre or so apart, they smoked in silence, gazing out across the dark expanse of the Central Canal.

When Dimitri turned sixteen and started smoking, communication with his stepmother grew easier, even if it was at the cost of both their lungs. Now, they could smoke together. A shared activity that was both solitary and sociable.

Anselma was in a long red evening gown with dark blue statement embroidery. She was barefoot; heeled shoes discarded near one of the outdoor chairs. Her dark brown hair was sleek and shiny, pulled tight against her skull in a bun. It looked painful.

The Adrestian summer was cloying. On the other side of the canal, the lights in the inner city were like a shimmering mirage against the pink and orange sky.

It felt like his thoughts were diffusing into the air… the lines demarcating his inner and outer worlds were gradually losing definition…

‘Cornelia told me about your matches today. I am sorry you didn’t win… How are you feeling about it?’

‘I was disappointed, but more for the others than for myself. I’ve only been on the team for a week. I guess it wasn’t realistic to expect things to work perfectly right away. None of them looked very upset, but maybe they just didn’t show it… Linhardt, our setter, said he was relieved we lost in two sets, at least. Because he was physically and mentally incapable of playing a third… and that since we don’t have to play finals, we have a free day tomorrow and he can sleep in.’

‘That feels like a good way to look at it. To find something positive in what came to be.’

They fell quiet for a short time while Anselma lit another cigarette, then she spoke again.

‘I studied at Garreg Mach myself. The old buildings and gardens were beautiful, and there were so many places to explore. I was… happy during my time there. That is why I suggested to Lambert that it might be a nice school for you. Have you been able to look around?’

So, that was the reason.

Dimitri’s previous school was an all-boys school; the northern equivalent of Mercurius Private Boys School, basically. Dimitri and his friends were very much the Mercurius Boys too, minus the pastel-coloured chinos and polos. It was far too cold in Faerghus for that.

Besides, they espoused classic cishet fashion up north. They didn’t wear pastels.

In any case, Dimitri had expected to be sent somewhere similar.

When he learnt how many major politicians’ children attended Garreg Mach, he assumed that was behind Lambert’s decision. Even the Prime Minister’s daughter went there, after all.

‘I haven’t seen much of the school besides my classroom, the cafeteria, and volleyball gym… and this random place where we go to smoke.’

‘I’m curious to know where that is now.’

‘It’s this courtyard near the pottery studio and arts building. Seems to be where the art students dump their shit stuff…'

That elicited a small laugh from Anselma. ‘I know it well. There was this giant brown urn… I would burn my tragic _ukiyo-e_ paintings inside.’

‘Ah! I think that’s still there!'

* * *

_Hilda Valentine Goneril messaged you._

20:02 PM

 **Hilda:** hey Dimitri! Glenn and By are throwing a pity party & ask if u wanna come? no one else is coming tho………. and Fe locked himself in his room. soooorrrry it’s just us… they’re also a bit drunk… i’d totally understand if u say no

* * *

Hilda answered the door in pyjamas and slippers (stolen from Rodrigue, who wasn’t home), which were so big that she kept skidding on the floorboards. A headband held her hair back from her face, which was smeared with some shiny blue jelly thing.

‘Ummm, so they totally just spiralled… I think they’ve been moping, drinking and singing for _hours_ before I got here. I’m not even joking.’ Hilda glanced up at Dimitri and grinned. ‘When you said you would come, they were both really pleased though. I even talked them into face masks by saying they should look nice for you. But then I left them alone for five minutes to remove my makeup and do my own mask. When I came back, they’d had Becherovka shots to celebrate that you were coming… I’m actually not sure how they’re still conscious…’

The corridor ended in a large open space where Glenn kept his TV, Nintendo Switch, professional karaoke and audio system, bookshelves filled with his impressive manga collection, a midcentury modern teak upright piano, electric keyboard, two electric guitars, an old Singer sewing machine, a dressmaker’s mannequin, a tabletop terrarium shaped like a greenhouse, a wooden H-frame easel with a covered canvas on it, and several canvases leant against the back wall, amongst other things.

According to Felix, at least 85% of the things in their house belonged to Glenn.

On a nearby coffee table, there were two open colouring books, a large metal tin of Faber-Castell coloured pencils, a box of Rembrandt soft pastels, and a ukulele.

Dimitri glanced curiously at the open pages: fashion artwork from old Vogue magazines… and a detail from an old tapestry. _‘The Lady and the Unicorn, Sight,’_ he read at the bottom of the page.

‘I have died ha-appy and liiiiiiiived

To tell the tale to you

I have slept for forty years

And woooke to find me gone

I woke safe and warm in youuur arms

In yooooour arms…’

The melancholy pair were sprawled on giant floor cushions next to a selection of bottles Glenn had pilfered from the bar.

‘They told me they’re using karaoke as a dialectic medium.’ Hilda sounded dubious. ‘Apparently By _was_ singing happy, supportive songs at the start. Then she felt sad too, so now they’re both totally depressed…’

‘They’re having a conversation by singing?’ The image made Dimitri smile.

‘Yeah… I don’t get what they’re _actually_ saying though? They sure listen to some really depressing stuff. There was this super weird song… Glenn was asking By to wait for him, because he was coming with her to the underworld… or like, I’m not sure if he actually _said_ that, but I heard ‘River Styx’. I totally panicked that they were making, like, a pact to die together! So I shrieked through Fe’s door until he finally answered. He said they made a pact years ago, so it makes no sense that they’d make another one. I guess they _were_ singing in these dramatic creepy whispering voices… they’re both soooo strange sometimes, I swear…’

* * *

067\. Glenn & Byleth / **‘Wait for Me’ - Anaïs Mitchell, Ben Knox Miller, Justin Vernon**

068\. Glenn / **‘Oblivion’ - Bastille**

069\. Byleth / **‘Blue’ - Joni Mitchell**

070\. Glenn / **‘Liquorlip Loaded Gun’ - Sticky Fingers**

071\. Byleth / **‘Ivy’ - Frank Ocean**

072\. Glenn & Byleth / **‘Lovesong’ - The Cure**

073\. Byleth / **‘No Provenance’ - Joanna Newsom**

* * *

‘By!!! Dimitri is here!’ Glenn had spotted him.

Byleth’s singing stopped and she turned too. ‘Dimitri!!!’

They scurried over to greet him. Dimitri stifled a laugh because they looked ridiculous and adorable in equal measure. Their faces were slathered in blue jelly, and Hilda had pinned their hair back with pink plastic barrettes.

Glenn was wearing satin boxer shorts in Wonder Woman’s blue star print. His white t-shirt had “GOOD WITCH” printed on the front in big black letters, and a small pink heart. Byleth wore the matching black t-shirt, which read “BAD WITCH” in white letters, and a broken heart.

Dimitri’s heart hurt seeing her coming to him. He wished he could hug her, realising how much he’d craved the comfort of her closeness.

‘You arrived just in time!’ Glenn exclaimed. ‘I plan to look at old photos while wallowing in nostalgia next…’

‘Um, maybe we could do something else?’ Hilda interjected in a hurry. ‘Also, you can wash your masks off now, guys.’

Realising they still had unsightly blue faces, and that their hair was _not_ on fleek, identical looks of dismay formed on Byleth’s and Glenn’s countenances.

‘I’ll be right back, Dimitri!’ Byleth legged it to the bathroom.

‘Me too!’ Glenn fled after Byleth.

Glenn and Byleth returned after a small detour. A shared instant of clarity had reminded them of their adult responsibilities, so they had procured a basin packed with ice and cold drinks for hydration purposes.

However, on learning that Dimitri and Hilda had Strega shots, Glenn immediately wished to partake of Strega also. Hilda was taking her turn in the bathroom so they were unsupervised…

Glenn was game for anything Byleth was game for…

Byleth was game for anything Glenn was game for…

It was established that their friendship meant they were game for anything!

‘Why is Hilda so worried about us, anyway?’ Glenn complained, splashing Strega into their lowball glasses.

Byleth gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘I don’t even feel anything. I have Jeralt’s genes.’

‘Same! All I have is confidence… but it’s unshakeable!!!’

Dimitri watched in amusement as the giggling pair linked their arms and tossed back their shots.

‘Dimitri, as a responsible adult, I’m afraid I have to ask you to slow down,’ Glenn said humorously. ‘Here! Hydrate with this tasty peach soda! There are also five flavours of Ramune!’

Byleth chose peach soda, while Glenn struggled with the marble lock on his Yoghurt Ramune. She took a turn at it with a confident roll of her eyes… but failed as well.

They both watched Dimitri push the marble through with practically zero effort. Glenn took his drink back with a tearful expression of gratitude. Byleth was full of extravagant praise that made Dimitri a little flustered.

‘Opening a Ramune bottle is the ultimate test of strength,’ Glenn declared after a happy slurp and sigh of refreshment. ‘Henceforth, nothing will ever amaze me again! EVER!’

While Glenn went hunting for his MacBook, Dimitri stole a glance at Byleth… He found himself utterly enraptured by the sight of her drinking peach soda. The way her lips came away from the can, a little wet, shiny… parting in the gentle exhale of breath that followed…

Dimitri found her mouth so erotic that his chest felt constricted, his breathing became irregular…

‘You know, Dimitri,’ Byleth said, meeting his gaze and nearly making his heart stop. ‘Glenn must like you a fair bit. He’s having fun since you arrived. Not even serenading him with my ukulele worked today, so… thank you.’

The lips he coveted so much curved into a wonderful smile for him. They sucked out all the air left in his lungs.

* * *

Eleven-year-old Byleth and Glenn stood on the front doorstep of a house, their faces alight with mischievous grins. Byleth had her arm around Glenn’s shoulders.

Glenn was fleeing for his life across a lawn, being pursued by a furious sword-wielding Felix.

Byleth, Felix and Glenn were in the front seat of an antique convertible. Felix had commandeered the wheel and was pretending to drive. Byleth and Glenn were film heroines wearing headscarves and sunglasses.

Fourteen-year-old Byleth and Glenn stood in the kitchen at Glenn’s house before school. Her hair was cut into a short bob and dyed neon green! She carried Glenn’s school bag on her back, as well as her own bag over her shoulder. Glenn was chatting away to her, his arms folded behind his head, carrying nothing at all…

Byleth had hacked at the bottom of her white school shirt, cropping it to her midriff. Her brown tartan skirt sat low on her hips, and she wore black thigh socks and combat boots.

Byleth and thirteen-year-old Felix sat side by side in a pub booth, eating burgers with ravenous expressions. The red seats were covered in clear vinyl.

Felix had started to grow out his hair. It reached just past his earlobes.

Most of the photos from their fifteenth year were Polaroids.

Glenn and Byleth squatted on the ground in a suitably dark, dingy alley. Glenn was lighting a cigarette. Byleth’s head was turned to the side and she gazed directly into the camera lens. She was wearing skintight black vinyl pants, a black bustier with a gold medallion on the front, and combat boots. Her hair was dyed a deep jade-green and fell around her shoulders.

Byleth sat at a table against a peeling red wall, eyes half shut as she shovelled ramen into her red lipsticked mouth with chopsticks.

Glenn wheezed with laughter at the photo for a solid minute. Dimitri caught Byleth’s eye humorously. She grinned and said, ‘I look like I really enjoyed that.’

Then, they were sixteen.

Glenn and Byleth stood on the doorstep he recognised from an earlier photo. It was probably Byleth’s house! They were each other’s dates for a school dance.

Byleth was wearing a tight black strapless dress, and pointed gold pumps with glittery silver ankle-socks. Her hair was longer again and back to its natural blue-black.

Glenn had his arm around Byleth's shoulders, in reverse of their childhood pose. At sixteen, he was only a few centimetres short of his current height. Glenn was extremely handsome, albeit rather rakish compared to how he looked now. Actually, _both_ Byleth and Glenn gave off slightly disreputable vibes in those years…

The next photo was of the same scene, but it included a tall, strongly built man with messy brown hair and a short beard. There was a prominent vertical scar on his left temple, and another across his left cheekbone.

_‘That must be Jeralt. Byleth’s father…’_

Jeralt had a wide grin on his face, and his arms around each of their shoulders. Glenn and Jeralt faced the camera, but Byleth looked up at her father with a small smile on her face.

Then came the photos of Byleth, Felix and Glenn on a winter trip in Faerghus; adventuring around the Fraldarius family estate, exploring the streets of Fhirdiad; Byleth staring into the window display of a dessert shop, greedily eyeing the cakes… then Byleth _inside_ the dessert shop, a spoonful of crème caramel on its way into her wide open mouth!

Byleth and Glenn pulled Felix’s sled down a snowy hill, while Felix pointed ahead in a commanding manner.

A very impish-looking Glenn was making a snowball. His obvious target, Felix, was visible in the background with his back turned… Fast forward to Glenn fleeing through the snow, being pursued by his irate younger brother. Some things never changed.

The three of them huddled on the carpet in front of a large wood fireplace, wrapped in blankets and holding steaming mugs. Glenn looked back over his shoulder and grinned at the camera.

She had been right there. Close enough that he may have passed her in the street. If Lambert and Rodrigue had met up, maybe Dimitri could have met Byleth… and Glenn and Felix.

Suddenly, Dimitri was overcome with an irrational regret.

Byleth had been within his reach years ago, but he had missed her.

The next photo of Byleth was taken on film. It was only on the screen for a brief instant, but time stopped as Dimitri became transfixed by the vision therein.

It was a close-up of Byleth, the sole object in focus against a blurred background. The warm red hues and shadows cast her skin in a distinctive character, reminiscent of firelight or the light at sunset. It was difficult to tell how old she was.

She sat on the end of a bed, leaning forward towards the camera, with her chin resting in her left hand. The bottom of the photo cut off just above her elbows, which she seemed to be propping up on her thighs.

Byleth’s eyes looked directly at Dimitri, traversing the distance across time and space! No, that was just his foolish fantasy.

She was gazing into the lens as if seeing through it to the person on the other side. Both seeing and being seen…

Glenn was on the other side. Why else would the photo be in his possession?

Dimitri slowly recognised the intimacy indelible in the very existence of the photo.

People used the word ‘capture’ to describe the action. The need to trap the desired object of your gaze before it escaped you. The need to catch something unawares. Whether temporal, emotional, physical; there was loss inherent in the taking of a photograph… from the perspective of the taker.

The word ‘capture’ could still fit many interpretations he chose to make… but insofar as Byleth herself was concerned, she wasn’t trying to escape. She didn’t need to be caught unawares either. Knowing she was being photographed didn’t make a difference. It didn’t change her or who Glenn saw.

Her skin was bare of makeup, her black hair mussed. She neither smiled nor frowned. Her eyes were artless, unguarded. Byleth was totally open before the gaze that perceived her.

She wasn’t expected to be anything, and she felt no need to be anything else. She could even be nothing, if she chose.

Byleth was in a safe place. She could be at her most natural and undisguised… as if she knew that she would always be accepted.

The song Byleth was singing earlier lingered in his mind. Something to revisit. Dimitri made a mental note to Google it later.

Fear didn’t exist… she would never be hurt there.

That was what the photograph made Dimitri feel.

It was a private world he was not allowed to enter.

Glenn shut his laptop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always loved and appreciated ♥


	10. A Perfect Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Dimitri stay up all night. Featuring the Kardashians.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: some swearing haha

In spite of their confidence, Glenn and Hilda were out first. Byleth switched off the lights, but left a single lamp on, which shed a soft golden globe around the pair. She looked up at Dimitri, who was in the middle of realising that he and Byleth were finally alone…

‘I’m contemplating making macaroni and cheese,’ she said with a sheepish expression. ‘Would you like some?’

Even if Dimitri didn’t love macaroni and cheese, he would eat anything Byleth cooked for him. Even if it was poisoned!

‘Yes, please.’

Smiling, Byleth offered him her hand and pulled him to his feet with unexpected strength. Dimitri followed her to the kitchen, wishing she hadn’t let go.

Dimitri was extremely helpful and put the water on to boil. Then he leaned against the kitchen island and watched Byleth adoringly while she did everything else!

In her well-worn “BAD WITCH” t-shirt and cute pink jelly slides (he noticed they were bubblegum-scented, which Byleth explained was a design signature of eco label Melissa); moving around him, occupied in ordinary tasks like grating cheese, taking soy milk out of the fridge, wiping her hands on a tea towel…

Byleth was so beautiful right then. Being able to see her like that was intimate in a way. Every so often, she would meet his eyes and smile, making his heart race.

Being near Byleth made him feel so content.

They ate on the sofa in the patio, where people usually sat to watch Byleth and Felix compete at every activity they could fit in there. At present, it was full of disorganised clutter from their party on the weekend.

‘Tell me something about you, Dimitri,’ Byleth said, while they tucked into their “snack”. ‘Although, you did say you find it hard to talk about yourself.’

Dimitri grinned. ‘And you said it was hard asking personal questions.’

‘A true dilemma.’ Byleth grinned back. ‘But, I suppose the onus is on me this time. What I want to ask is how you’re feeling. How do you feel about leaving Fhirdiad, and living here? Are you happy or unhappy? Something like that…’

Dimitri stabbed at a piece of pasta while he thought about it. ‘I’m not unhappy that we left. I didn’t have anything that I really minded leaving behind. And home is just the same as usual.’

Ever the responsible underage drinker, Dimitri had attained his optimal level of intoxication and stopped there. His usual self-consciousness and awkwardness had dissipated.

‘I’m starting to feel happier.’ Dimitri turned and looked into her eyes when he spoke. ‘I _am_ happier since I met you. When you’re around, I feel like… maybe I can belong… and it really is alright for me to be here. If it wasn’t for you, I think I’d feel much more alone.’

Admitting those feelings affected Dimitri more than he expected. They were the kind of feelings he avoided trying to capture and express. It hurt less when they were nebulous, unnamed things. He saw in Byleth’s eyes that his words affected _her_ a lot more than he expected them to.

‘I felt the same when we moved here. When I met Glenn. I feel glad that I could be someone like that for you.’ Her smile was so kind and warm. ‘So, don’t worry! You can count on me to have your back! Which means Glenn’s got your back too! Even if we only have a solid total of one brain cell between us, sometimes…’

Byleth’s smile grew wider when that made him laugh, and she poked his leg playfully with her toe.

Byleth leaned back against the sofa arm, bending her knees and bringing her bare feet up. The absence of anxiety made Dimitri fearless. He brought Byleth’s legs over his lap so that she could lie down comfortably.

‘Oh, thanks!! I haven’t shaved so I’m prickly, though. Sorry…’ Byleth stretched her legs with a very satisfied expression, not looking sorry at all.

Then she laughed in surprise when Dimitri smirked and ran his palm along her calf. It made a slight rasping sound against the stubble.

‘Most addictive game you’ve ever played?’

Dimitri’s questions were random as hell, but they made Byleth smile and Dimitri really couldn’t get enough of seeing her smile.

‘Ugh, _Kim K Hollywood._ Holst got us hooked, and obviously Felix challenged me to race to the A-list. But Glenn kept wasting his K-Stars on stupid hairstyles, then crying and begging me to gift him mine! I had to put our friendship first. In the end, Sylvain beat us all and gloated soooo much! He called to announce his victory right away. I was out running with Fe at the time, and we stopped on the pavement and lost our shit! Like, we deleted our apps at the same time out of petty rage! Then later, Syl told me he’d won by getting more K-Stars with _actual_ money!!! Just to win and piss us off! Dimitri, I can’t even— I was like “This is fucking BETRAYAL!!!” but he only laughed harder…’

Byleth looked so outraged by the mere memory that Dimitri exploded with laughter.

‘What was your All Saints Eve costume last year?’

‘I didn’t dress up. I never do much for All Saints.’ Dimitri wondered if Byleth would think he was dull. ‘What about you?’

‘Hang on, I’ll show you!’

Byleth was already chortling to herself while she scrolled through her photos. When she gave him her phone, Dimitri took one look and snorted so hard, he hurt his nose.

There, before his eyes, were the Kardashians.

Glenn and Byleth were Kendall and Kylie!

Glenn wore thigh-high boots and a white turtleneck minidress, ripped “artistically” in mimicry of the original. It conjured a comic vision of Glenn wielding a kitchen knife with violence. Byleth confirmed that was exactly how it went down.

Their professional hair and makeup artist, Hilda Valentine Goneril, had straightened Glenn’s wavy hair and put in clip-in hair extensions.

Byleth was in a short, skintight bodysuit, embellished all over with sparkly pink rhinestones, and her blond wig was in an impossibly long ponytail that reached past her bum!

The pair had coy smiles and their arms around each other’s waists. Glenn was authentic Kendall. Right down to his splay-legged pose.

To Glenn’s right were Claude and Sylvain, both in lustrous blond wigs like Byleth, dressed as Kim and Khloe, respectively. Claude wore a slinky beige dress stuffed with padding to give him a rather impressive bust. Sylvain was in a white pantsuit, jacket unbuttoned to reveal his sexy black corset.

The absolute best dressed were on Byleth’s side, though.

Holst the Momager was in a shimmering gold gown and floor-length faux fur coat, which he had plastered with bright red NO signs and anti-fur slogans. Hilda had styled his Kris wig so perfectly, it was priceless!

And finally, on Byleth’s left, with her other arm around his waist… Felix as Kourtney.

How they managed to convince Felix would remain a mystery to Dimitri. Byleth couldn’t remember.

Felix’s long hair was loose and tucked behind his ears. He wore a black pantsuit, jacket off, draped over his shoulders, and a sheer black top with a black bra (Byleth’s) underneath.

He was wearing fake eyelashes and heels like everyone else. The only thing he refused to do was smile for the photo.

‘Hilda convinced him walking in heels was a test of his calf strength. So, Claude dared him to keep them on the whole night, and he did! But on the way home, Fe was in so much pain… ahahahaha so furious… threw his shoes out of the window! Then Glenn stopped the Uber and ran onto the highway to save them! But he got too scared to cross back and just stood in the middle of the road, screaming for me to save him! All these cars were honking and swerving around him, and Hilda and the Uber driver were screaming, thinking he would be killed for sure. Felix was just yelling at him to stop fucking around, but he actually wasn’t, so I ran out and literally carried his ass _and_ the shoes back. I was so done with his shit, like “For fuck’s sake! You fucking ran out onto the road, right in front of the fucking cars! What the actual fuck?!” Then Felix tossed me into the backseat so he could scream at Glenn instead, “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You fucking ran out onto the road, right in front of the fucking cars! What the actual fuck?!?!?!” and Glenn was just curled up on the ground, hugging the shoes to his chest… ahahahah!!’

‘Why did he want them?’ Dimitri asked curiously.

‘Oh, they were knock-off Louboutins. He wanted to sell them on Depop.’

* * *

‘Can I ask you something personal?’

‘Sure, go ahead.’

‘Why aren’t you and Glenn still together? I haven’t known you that long, but it’s just… it feels like you’re so happy together. It made me wonder why you didn’t… I’m sorry, that’s a lot more prying than it sounded in my head.’ What the hell was he saying?

‘No, it’s fine.’ Byleth folded her arms beneath her head. ‘We were never together in that way. We weren’t a couple or in a relationship.’

Dimitri was relieved that she wasn’t annoyed, and relieved by her answer too. But she continued, leaving him with even more questions.

‘I… have a lot of feelings for him… about him, with him… Besides my dad, he is the most important person in the world to me. You know, 100% would catch a grenade for him, jump in front of a train for him— all the Bruno Mars shit.’ Despite her lighthearted words, Dimitri saw a glimmer of tears before she blinked them away. ‘Glenn’s the one who’s always on my side. He never lets me down. Being alive is better together… I’m sorry, I’ve been feeling kind of low…’

‘I’m sorry I asked you to talk about it.’ He really was a fool. Byleth had been unhappy all day, and he was making her miserable all over again.

Dimitri had unconsciously begun stroking gentle circles on her knee, which seemed to soothe her.

‘It’s not that. I like talking to you… and I want to answer your questions. I have a lot of good friends around me, but that doesn’t mean I can talk about everything with everyone.’ Byleth’s lips curved into a small smile. ‘You know, Dimitri… We’re new to each other, so there’s no old version of me in your mind that I have to compete with. When I’m with you, I can be whoever I want to be. It’s hard to change in the face of other people’s expectations. I fall back into old dynamics; into the selves I wish…’

Byleth trailed off for a breath, then began speaking again, leaving the previous thought unfinished.

‘I feel like I have a blank slate with you. I don’t know what the future will be like; how you’ll come to see me in time. But you’re giving me _this_ time with you. You give me your friendship… and I can’t help but want it. Even if I make someone else unhappy by wanting it. I really like you, and I like the person that I feel myself becoming when I’m with you… so I hope you like me too. Do you think it’s inherently wrong because I’m being selfish?’

‘I like you a lot,’ Dimitri struggled not to admit more. ‘If someone wants to hold you back, _they’re_ being selfish - not you. You should be free to choose your own friends. Especially since I’m the one you’re talking about.’ A delighted laugh escaped Byleth. ‘I think you’re incredible. Go ahead and try to change my mind.’

‘Dimitri, I might develop the most insufferable ego if you tell me things like that!’

‘I was holding back, to be honest.’

Byleth’s expression of dubious curiosity was adorable. ‘Now I want to know… but I’m also kind of embarrassed… I’m lying, I’m never embarrassed by praise. I thrive on it! Tell me!’

Dimitri grinned mischievously, running his fingers through his hair to push it off his forehead. ‘I was joking. That’s all I’ve got.’

‘Noooooooooooo!!!’

Dimitri’s heart was so full. It felt unreal that Byleth was staying awake, unaware of time, wanting to know more about him, wanting him to know about her. She looked so lazy and content, seemingly in no rush to go back indoors.

She was draped over the sofa, exuding an air of such languor and pleasure, Dimitri found himself growing increasingly distracted by how tempting she was. He was glad she hadn’t made any move to shift her legs from his lap, appearing to find his touch unobtrusive as he traced patterns on the inside of her thigh near her knee. The feeling of being in physical contact with her, being allowed to touch her skin… it was bliss.

‘Will you tell me about your family?’

‘It’s only Jeralt and me. My mother, Sitri, is… she died giving birth to me.’

Dimitri’s heart clenched at the realisation that they were the same, even in that unhappy way.

‘I don’t have any other family. Well, there’s my grandmother - Sitri’s mother, but Jeralt doesn’t like her. She doesn’t want anything to do with me, anyway.’

He caught a flash of some dark emotion in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

‘That’s fine, though.’ Byleth gave him an easy grin. ‘I was lucky enough to find all the family I want. Now, tell me about your family.’

‘I live with my father and stepmother. All my grandparents passed away before I was born. I don’t think I have any family besides my uncle: Dad’s older brother. My mother, Alix, died giving birth to me too.’

His right hand was resting on her knee. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Byleth reach towards it but her fingertips stopped short. She changed her mind and drew her hand back.

The air rushed out of Dimitri’s lungs with excessive force. He slid his hand up her thigh and captured her withdrawing fingers… watched them slowly intertwine with his.

When he lifted his exhilarated gaze from their joined hands to her face, Byleth’s eyes rose at the same time; serious and intense.

‘Dimitri, tell me what a perfect morning would be to you. Let’s make it happen.’

His answer came easily. ‘Just be with me.’

Byleth fell quiet.

It was difficult to regret allowing his emotions reach her in some small way. Dimitri’s impatient longing for her warred with the voice that urged caution… Byleth squeezed his hand.

She was smiling at him!

‘I’ll be with you. All morning! You can even watch me and Glenn perform our sun salutations, if you like. Depending on his condition… the little baby slug~’

They spread beach towels out on the lawn, so they could watch the dawn when it came. That was something they’d never be able to do in Faerghus. Not unless they were willing to risk pneumonia.

The Adrestian summer wasn’t so bad, after all.

As soon as they lay down, Byleth craved more snacks, because her body associated lying on the grass with picnics. She returned with peach soda and “healthy” rice crackers.

She sat crosslegged at his side, and cracked open her can with such a pleased expression on her face that Dimitri couldn’t hide his smile. Until the divine union of Byleth + peach soda gripped him with a thirst that he knew no amount of peach soda could quench.

‘Byleth?’

‘Hm?’

‘If you weren’t already with Sylvain, and I asked you on a date, would you say yes?’

Byleth betrayed no surprise at the question. Cryptic blue eyes studied his face over the rim of the soda can.

‘Sure.’

SURE????? SURELY this was a DREAM?!

Dimitri’s heart began to batter itself to death against his ribs.

‘Would you… have you ever been with someone else, or thought about…’ Fucking hell! Why was he asking her about cheating on her boyfriend?! And why was he asking it in the most pathetic way known to man???

‘Have I cheated before? No. Have I thought about it? Truthfully, yes.’

It was as if Dimitri’s directness had unlocked a similar candour in her. Byleth saw his nonplussed expression and smiled, astounding him even more. He was _not_ expecting her to be entertained by his stupidity! Why wasn’t she telling him to fuck off?

‘I’m sorry, Byleth. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.’ Dimitri collapsed onto his back with a groan.

When Byleth spoke again, her tone was gentle. ‘I told you when we talked last time.’ She cast her gaze in the direction of the pool. ‘I don’t mind being spoken to openly. Jeralt never takes it easy on me, so I can take pretty much anything.’

Byleth took another sip, then put her can aside. She lay back too, propping herself up on her elbows.

‘Feelings are feelings. I think it’s ok to express them. Now, I try harder to express mine before they become something worse. It took years of therapy to get that through my thick skull, though. Using myself as an example was too extreme…’ Byleth paused and pondered her words. ‘I don’t think it’s better or worse to avoid things, or be shielded by others— people deal with emotions differently. I accept that. But personally, I don’t want to avoid your feelings, Dimitri. So if you talk, I will listen. If I really don’t want to talk about something, you won’t force me to, right?’

Dimitri stared at her with more reverence than ever. His first impression had been that the boys on the team flocked around Byleth because she was beautiful: the “manager babe” they worshipped and crushed on. The ironic trope they all played up, including Byleth.

He was beginning to see that they genuinely admired her. He wasn’t the only person who thought she was amazing.

Felix, who respected strength above all else, respected Byleth because he legitimately considered her the stronger one.

Byleth was strong in ways Dimitri couldn’t even imagine yet.

‘Don’t hold back! I’m not afraid!’ Byleth declared, swallowing a mouthful of rice crackers.

Dimitri was wild about her!

It was now or never!

Actually, he would try again. As many times as it took.

‘Byleth, help! How can I make my confession more likely to win you over?’

‘Take your shirt off!!!’

Dimitri blushed hard. ‘You are the worst.’

‘AHAHAHAHAHA!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! x


	11. The Ultimate Wingmen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri receives some questionable assistance from his new friends… with unexpected results.

The desk was cool against Dimitri’s forehead. Covering his head with his arms, he desperately fought the burn in his eyes.

Linhardt’s voice reached him through his agitation, ‘Dimitri, may I suggest - if you don’t want these two finding things out, do more than scrunch up the evidence and put it in the bin. Rip it up into no less than eight pieces. My research into the subject revealed that to be the number at which their brains cease to…’

Felix made a scoffing noise. ‘More like, don’t spend all morning distracted in class, clearly writing something, then throw a silent tantrum, scrunch up the evidence and put it in the bin.’

‘All while exhibiting signs of acute heartache, despair and wrathful passion,’ Ferdinand added. ‘We were all extremely concerned.’

‘ _I_ wasn’t. I knew it would be something ridiculous like this.’

‘Felix, can you shut your stupid mouth for once? You were the one who blew this out of proportion,’ Linhardt snapped in irritation.

‘Er, fuck you? I _helped_ him. I’m sick of seeing him moping and pining…’

Their bickering faded to the edges of Dimitri’s consciousness.

> _Dear Byleth,_
> 
> _I wish I was more eloquent so I could say these things to you, but when you’re with me, when I am looking at you and you’re looking at me, my mind is filled with you and I can’t think._
> 
> _I can’t make sentences. All the words dissolve before I see what they are, because even my mind’s eyes are looking at you._
> 
> _Byleth, I am in love with you._
> 
> _You don’t have to fill any roles or expectations for me. I don’t have any._
> 
> _There is nothing in my mind besides you and I never expected or imagined you until you were in front of me._
> 
> _I don’t want to share you. I don’t want anyone else to touch you except me. I wish you wanted me, only me and no one else because I only want you. But none of that matters if I can have you._
> 
> _I will be miserable while you’re with him, but while you’re with me, I can’t imagine being happier._
> 
> _I don’t want to wait, praying for you to be hurt so that you will leave him._
> 
> _If you let me, I will try to make you happy instead. Maybe if I make you happier, one day I will be enough and you will choose me._
> 
> _I just want you, Byleth._
> 
> _But I’m a fucking coward so I lied_
> 
> _I didn’t want to scare you away I sound like a lunatic you won’t even want me near you FUCK_

After throwing away his futile letter, Dimitri had returned to his desk, blinded by a dense haze of his self-hatred. He hadn’t noticed the blurs headed for the bin at light speed.

Ferdinand was even faster than Felix! He seized the crumpled letter, and raced off in search of a safe place to read it, with Felix in fierce pursuit. They remained absent for the rest of class and only returned at the start of lunch hour.

According to Linhardt, who stayed conscious for Professor Hanneman’s science class, Hanneman merely blinked a few times, then proceeded with his lecture.

Ferdinand cleverly concealed himself, but Felix’s keen ears picked up his tearful sniffles. He was hunted down and violently divested of the emotional letter. Felix ignored Ferdinand’s stammering about the need for discretion and sped off. Ferdinand had followed to keep an eye on him.

Glenn was summoned out of his art class via sibling telepathy and the letter was thrust in his face.

Glenn read it… and cried.

He dashed out the back of the arts building with the others in tow.

Byleth received her summons via bestie telepathy, as well as Ferdinand’s wild contortions outside the pottery studio windows: communication by interpretative dance, which communicated that he was trying to communicate with her.

Her telepathic response to Glenn said that she was working on something for her mid-year gallery exhibit. If she left it too long, the clay may not hold its shape later. She might have to begin the entire section again, or start a new piece altogether.

Telepathy was discarded. Glenn, Felix and Ferdinand marched into the studio bearing the missive.

Luckily, Byleth was in a private lesson. The surprised but obliging Miss Flayn fluttered away once Glenn explained that they had important, top-secret business with Byleth.

Ferdinand, the finest orator, had given her a heartbreaking recital of the letter, upon which Glenn had wept again. Byleth hadn’t expressed her emotions so openly, but Ferdinand described the profound sea change he perceived in her entire being.

The wheel had stopped turning.

Byleth abandoned her work, went to the sink and washed her hands…

‘YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN IT TO HIM YET????’

‘Ack! I got carried away with the preamble!’

‘AEGIR, YOU HAD ONE JOB! _ONE_ JOB!!!!!!’

> _Dear Dimitri,_
> 
> _I am in the mood to dissolve in the sky._
> 
> _If you are free this evening, will you spend it with me?_
> 
> _Maybe we can go out to dinner? We can do anything you’d like._
> 
> _I await your answer by any form of comms._
> 
> _This is me asking you on a date. Please say yes._
> 
> _\- Byleth_

* * *

Being enveloped in Byleth’s easy, laidback presence, watching her steady motions, was like a soothing balm to Dimitri’s rather battered heart. As had been her smile when he ran in, looking for her; following Ferdinand’s shamefaced delivery of the note, written in Byleth’s messy cursive on a page torn from a sketch pad.

Glenn had been amusing himself at Byleth’s expense, grooving around and singing into her ears, since she was pretending he didn’t exist. Dimitri overheard: ‘All I really want is to be your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend, your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend…’

Edelgard had been there as well, looking entertained by Glenn’s skylarking for once.

When Glenn noticed Dimitri at the door, he warped over at once. He didn’t stop to say anything, but gave Dimitri a grin that rallied his courage +20. Edelgard passed by wordlessly too, giving him a quizzical look and a slight nod of greeting.

Then they walked out together, Glenn whistling to himself. Dimitri had a feeling they would run into Felix, Ferdinand and Linhardt, whom Dimitri had sensed tailing him, and were very likely stationed under the window to eavesdrop.

Dimitri asked Byleth to continue working if him being there didn’t bother her. He sat on a bench nearby and watched her.

The purple-tinged brown clay rippled and curved, following Byleth’s slim fingertips. The gentle whirring of the wheel was the only sound in the light, spacious studio.

‘I keep causing you trouble. You’re even working through break.’

‘You haven’t caused any trouble. I think this is going to be better than my previous shoddy attempt.’ Byleth’s gaze raised to his face, then fell. He saw her smile. ‘I didn’t expect you to come and talk to me. I assumed you’d just text me or something. This feels different…’

A gentle lull.

‘You don’t have to go on a date with me because you feel sorry for me.’

‘I know I don’t have to. I would like to… unless I misunderstood and you don’t want that.’

‘No! I do…’ Dimitri kept his eyes on her hands and lamely concluded with, ‘I don’t understand why you’d want to.’

‘I can tell you, if you like. Will you wait for me?’

Byleth was making what looked to be the body of a rather oddly curved, compressed teapot. Thin ribbons of clay gathered around the flat base as she trimmed it with a knife tool.

She took her foot off the pedal. The wheel slowed and came to a halt.

He watched captivated as she passed a metal wire through the bottom, cut the strange pot loose and transferred it onto a board.

Dimitri had barely been aware of the existence of pottery. Somehow, he hadn’t identified Byleth as an artsy person. Neither had he visualised Glenn as being talented in painting or haute couture. Nor Holst studying interior design, or Linhardt ranking top of their year despite napping through 5 out of 6 of his classes.

The most mind-blowing of all: Ferdinand being a faster runner than Felix _._ A whole _class_ of speed demon faster!

They walked around the back to the smoking spot, and just caught a glimpse of Linhardt’s ponytail before it vanished around the far corner. Byleth looked up at Dimitri and grinned.

They sat down on the grass together. Byleth spread her blazer behind her and leaned back on her forearms as she liked to do.

Dimitri felt Byleth’s musing gaze on his face while he lit a cigarette. He thanked the Goddess for nicotine and its illusion of release.

Byleth began to speak once she observed the rigidity leave his body. ‘This probably sounds very ~tumblr intellectual~ but this short film I watched years ago— younger Byleth identified with some of it quite a lot.’ The corners of her mouth quirked with mild self-deprecation. ‘In solitude you found me, formless like a memory. In the prison of thought, I weld a past that promised the poignancy of pain. A purposed life, a prosaic myth, until you danced into my vision. I chose to love you in silence, for in silence I found no rejection. I chose to love you in my dreams, for in my dreams you were only mine.’

Dimitri turned her words over in his mind, meaning forming slowly; both seeing himself while trying to comprehend how they could be about Byleth.

‘The things you wrote… do you really mean them?’

It was difficult to tell what the emotions in Byleth’s eyes were, but lying to her about his feelings once had taken such a toll that Dimitri’s mind, body and soul rebelled against lying a second time.

‘Yes.’

The glorious smile that came to life for him dispelled every fibre of the tightness he carried within his chest.

What was this emotion? Dimitri had never felt the way he did in that moment.

It was the first time since they met that Dimitri saw Byleth blush. It was faint, but unmistakeable. A soft rose-coloured tinge blossomed high on her cheekbones.

‘Then… I really want the chance to go on a date with the person who feels like that about me.’

The transition from disbelief to joy to wonderment on Dimitri's face made the colour in Byleth’s cheeks deepen.

It was the happiest moment of his life.

And yet… ‘What if Sylvain is upset?’

Byleth seemed totally detached from the possibility. ‘This is my time with you, Dimitri. Your feelings are the ones that matter to me. Is this ok with you?’

Honestly, Dimitri didn’t care about Sylvain. Since the couple’s argument on the previous weekend, Dimitri had mulled over what he overheard, as well as Edelgard’s responses. If he was right about at least one part of the story, he couldn’t summon any sympathy for Sylvain at all.

‘Yeah. As long as you will be alright.’

Byleth gave him a warm smile. ‘Don’t worry about me. You helped me remember something I’d forgotten, Dimitri. I never used to be scared of a fight. I always went into them certain that I would win!’

Wait. Fight? She wasn’t talking about physical fights, was she??? It was a metaphor… RIGHT???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the short film ref haha  
> CAER by Robert Kouba [X](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqT50z0iA1M)
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated x


	12. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Dimitri spend a night out in Enbarr. An unanticipated event gives Dimitri an insight into Byleth’s life.

Felix: ‘Brush teeth.’

Linhardt: ‘Cream cleanse.’

Ferdinand: ‘Trim your eyebrows…’

Glenn: ‘For fuck’s sake, Ferdie! NO, DIMITRI! DANGER WARNING! DANGER WARNING!!!’

Ferdinand’s vibrant red head stood out on a quarter of Dimitri's computer screen. The other three were occupied by Felix, Glenn and Linhardt. The latter was lying down with his laptop on his chest.

‘The point is, anyone who isn’t stupid can see that you have a crush on By. Including herself. But fine, I concede that my involvement may potentially have… inflicted profound emotional trauma… what the fuck is this? No, it wouldn’t! She’s a sucker for sad boys! I saw the opportunity. I went for the kill. I GOT THE KILL!’

Ignoring Ferdinand’s urgent hand signals, Felix tossed aside his phone; from which he had been reciting the apology script Ferdinand wrote for him.

‘What complex forethought, Fe.’ Glenn was extremely impressed. ‘When did you become such a crafty agent of love?’

‘Hmph.’ Felix started filing his nails grumpily. ‘Dimitri is, like, the final evolution stage of an anthropomorphised puppy. His sad puppy eyes whenever he sees By… they trigger some part of me, deep down, that wants happiness for all pets.’

The others burst into raucous laughter. Dimitri was lost in blissful daydreams of Byleth looking at him, talking to him, smiling at him, holding his hand!!!!!!!!

‘Secondly, Gautier’s been getting too full of himself. I’ve been thinking for a while that he needs to be reminded where he sits on the food chain. Which is way, way, WAY beneath By.’

Ferdinand nodded with an extremely solemn air. ‘The hubris of men doth incur the wrath of the heavens.’

‘Er… right. Anyway, it’s time _she_ remembered that too. She’s getting weak and I can’t have that. So lover boy here is going to work his innocent magic on her ego. And she’s going to make him happy. Look at his face already!’

‘What’s hubris? What did who forget? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??? Hang on, I’m coming to your room!!!’ Glenn vanished from the screen.

‘Ugh, please don’t!’

Dimitri modelled various ensembles of plain black t-shirts and black jeans for the panel’s scrutiny.

Ferdinand: ‘Supima cotton feels as soft and luxurious as it looks. Byleth might ask to touch it!’

Felix: ‘Drapes nicely against your chest.’

Glenn: ‘Scoopy neck! In my opinion, the collarbone is the most erotic bone in the human body.’

Linhardt: ‘Looks like you’re wearing a nice, cool breeze.’

The boys voted for tucking his t-shirt in and adding a black belt. It emphasised his chest by virtue of his narrow waist. Lastly, a pair of lace-up dress boots were given a collective nod of approval.

The unanimous verdict: not bad, not bad at all.

Like nineties-era Leo DiCaprio but ‘buff as hell’ and wearing superior jeans. The confluence of mid-rise, slim taper jeans and slightly lanky legs made him look taller. All in all, an excellent silhouette.

Ferdinand: ‘Thigh gap!’

Glenn: ‘Legs for dayyys!’

Felix: ‘Hot dogs or legs…’

Linhardt: ‘Thinspo.’

Dimitri was rearranging his bangs on his forehead for the hundredth time when the doorbell rang.

To well wishes from Ferdinand and Linhardt, wolf whistling from Felix, and a yell of ‘We’ll pray for you!’ from Glenn, Dimitri raced down the stairs three at a time.

The most splendid beauty in the world was waiting for him outside the front door.

SYSTEM OVERLOAD!!!!!!!!

Byleth’s dazzling smile at seeing him nearly knocked Dimitri out. He stared at her speechlessly and Byleth covered her mouth with her hand, clearly concealing a laugh.

‘Dimitri, you are really handsome. I bet I’ll be fighting off competition all night!’

?

!!!!!!!!!

Byleth said he was handsome!!!!!!!!

Not that he _looked_ handsome. She said HE was handsome. REALLY handsome!!!!!

O, frabjous day!!!!

‘Is this your car?!?!’

It was an old burnt-orange International Super Scout II. Doorless. Topless. One of those formidable vintage off roaders that was for _legit_ off-roading, not driving down to the beach!

Byleth grinned. ‘Afraid not. I borrowed this from Jeralt for tonight. My bike’s only a solo seat, so I’m not able to take you places, unfortunately.’ They rumbled off.

‘You have a motorbike?’ Byleth was so cool!!!!! It shouldn’t even have surprised him.

‘How else would I keep up with Glenn and Fe?’ Byleth replied, laughing.

* * *

It was as Dimitri had feared.

Byleth was turning every head in her vicinity. He was the one who’d be fighting off competition. It was a Friday night in the middle of the city, which meant _a lot_ of competition. Dimitri would have to be on his guard, in case anybody got any ideas!

He snuck a glance at her, walking close at his side. Byleth was stunning.

Her dark denim minidress clung tight to her body; following the curve of her hips, its hem sitting high on her toned thighs. With a gold chain choker hugging her graceful throat, tough black lug-sole ankle boots, and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, Byleth was the goddess and founder of their softcore grunge squad.

Byleth led him away from the brightly lit city centre, down some narrow side streets, to one of those quintessential, perpetually damp red brick alleys in an area that was eternally under construction.

Two flights of steel steps later, they arrived at a colourful door. It featured a mural of a big hairy arm rising out of an island of rubbish. Illuminated by a celestial spotlight, the hand offered up a burger to the heavens.

Down in the ocean, Dimitri saw a little dolphin and shark, both with scowling eyebrows, holding fins while they glared up at the proceedings.

‘Guess who painted this?’

‘…Glenn?? Is that meant to be you and Felix?’

‘You got it!’

The small open kitchen had a high wooden bar and stools around it. The place was packed and noisy. There was only one person working: the cook, who was also the owner, Jamie. When the shop bell tinkled, the bearded man looked up, caught sight of Byleth and gave her a nod.

There were a few others waiting in line, but a group of people were finishing their meal as Dimitri and Byleth arrived, so they got seats right away.

‘Lucky!’ Byleth said gleefully. With remarkable speed, she scraped and stacked all the used plates and glasses.

‘Thanks, Byleth!’ Jamie puffed with obvious relief. He tossed her a cloth and spray bottle, and she wiped down the bar; to a barrage of thanks from their fellow arrivals as well. Byleth returned after sanitising her hands.

‘Back! I’m sorry I left you. It looked like he needed some help.’

‘It’s fine. There are more people here than I expected.’ Considering its location…

‘Ingrid gave Jamie’s a glowing review when it opened! She officially named it the home of Enbarr’s #1 burger! Two years running. Jamie’s Classic Cheeseburger, if you’d like a rec. That’s how I learnt about it and made friends with Jamie,’ Byleth explained to him. ‘Ingrid’s food blog is so popular now that she gets paid to eat at places. Only nineteen and living her dream~’

‘Dimitri, I sense your scepticism, but the Goddess worked through Jamie to give us the fried pickle. No pressure, I just think you’ll be surprised. Want to try one?’

Dimitri was extremely dubious about how good “beer battered fried dill pickles & ranch sauce (vg)” could be, but he would eat dirt if it made Byleth happy, and also… ‘Maybe if you feed it to me…’

Byleth smiled as she dipped one in sauce, and held it up for him. Distracted by the glory that was Byleth, Dimitri forgot that he was taking a bite out of a questionable culinary creation.

It was… actually delicious?!

Byleth saw the reaction on his face and exhaled a small laugh. ‘Would you like to finish this one?’

Dimitri nodded sheepishly. ‘It’s really good.’

The sauce was amazing. Byleth might not like double dipping though… she double dipped! She was so generous with the sauce too! How was she so wonderful?

Her fingertips touched his lips as she fed him. Heart slamming violently against his ribcage, Dimitri watched her turn back to her plate… placing the tip of her index finger in her mouth to lick off the sauce left on it! Was Byleth… teasing him???

Although, it didn’t look like she was being coy about it.

She definitely wasn’t thinking about it at all…

Yeah, Byleth was completely oblivious.

This girl was going to make Dimitri lose his mind.

Byleth chomped on her burger with the adorable, hungry expression he remembered from one of Glenn’s photos.

‘So, you’re vegetarian?’

‘Mmhm.’ Byleth swallowed her mouthful of burger. ‘Most of the people you’ve met are vegetarian or vegan, in fact. Glenn, Ferdie, El and I are vegetarian. Holst, Hil, Ashe and Lin are vegan. Felix is most certainly neither!’

Dimitri wasn’t expecting that. ‘Did any of you eat meat before? It always sounded hard to give up.’

‘We all used to. But Holst decided to go vegan when he was nine and Hil followed along, so they’re our seniors! The rest of us decided to make a united effort after we met Holst. He inspired us to do our research and become more informed. It went from there. Three years now! Meat was easy for me to give up. Dairy is still difficult, on account of Margherita pizza, macaroni and cheese, and this baked cheesecake that Rodrigue makes. Hhhhnnnnggghh now I want some! With the rest, it’s only hard if they’re IN things I love. You know, like eggs and milk in crème caramel. But I won’t even get that if it’s made with gelatine. So yeah, eggs and milk in dessert are the hardest. Hm, I can’t recall ever consuming eggs and milk in a recognisable form in my life…’

Come to think of it, had Dimitri even met a vegetarian before?

Byleth was looking very cheeky. She glanced down at the chips on his plate, then raised hopeful eyes to his face. A silent plea for chips!

She never failed to make him smile. Dimitri loved her.

‘Have as many as you’d like.’

Dimitri wanted to pay!

Byleth was too fast for him. ‘ _I’m_ paying tonight.’

‘Then, I’ll pay next time.’ Dimitri realised what he said a bit too late.

She tilted her head slightly and observed his blushing face.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t really…’ Dimitri blushed even redder.

‘Don’t worry about it.’ Byleth grinned and booped him on the nose like she did with Glenn. ‘Please pay for my food anytime!’

* * *

They jumped on and off the inner-city subway, wandering wherever their feet, the train and Byleth’s random bursts of inspiration took them.

At one platform, Dimitri wandered onto a train, certain that Byleth was behind him… only to realise it was some guy in a Pink Floyd t-shirt!

Panicking, Dimitri looked for her among the people flooding into the carriage. She wasn’t there!

What if Byleth had been… taken by slave traders like in Taken??? Nononononononononononono…

Dimitri had to contact Jeralt!

From everything people had told him, Liam Neeson was weak as piss in comparison to the great Jeralt Eisner! Byleth’s dad would be able to save her! But Dimitri didn’t know Jeralt’s number…

GLENN!!! CALL GLENN… WAIT!!

Byleth was outside! She had bent down to retie her bootlace. Now she was looking around for him. Dimitri pushed his way towards the doors, desperate to be reunited with her.

‘Byleth!!!’ Dimitri managed to catch her eye. She hurried towards him…

Suddenly, the train doors beeped loudly and started to close! Fuck!!! He elbowed aside the fucking Pink Floyd guy, who wasn’t fucking moving out of the way!

Byleth saw his look of sheer terror at their separation, and the supreme alpha of all speed demons revealed herself at last. With an unbelievable dash and a reckless, death-defying leap, she came flying through the gap!

The doors shut!

Dimitri caught her airborne form safely in his arms. His strength prevented them toppling onto the people standing behind him. The other commuters gave her disapproving looks for that dangerous spectacle. Pink Floyd guy gave an impressed whistle and said ‘Nice!’ but Byleth was only looking at Dimitri, bright-eyed and laughing.

Nearly in tears, so thankful that Byleth was safe and with him, Dimitri held her tightly, and pressed his forehead to the crown of her head. Her arms came around his waist and she hugged him back.

‘It’s ok, Dimitri.’ Her voice was muffled against his chest. ‘I survived!! Thanks for catching me!’

Byleth showed Dimitri the finest nighttime views.

The Opera House and the old Imperial Palace were dazzling with all their lights.

He watched fondly as Byleth marched around the eerily illuminated Heroes’ Square.

Her favourite of the giant marble monuments was the one of Saint Seiros kneeling with her sword in front of her, and the outspread wings of the Immaculate One at her back. The colossal statue was carved in intricate detail, down to the tiniest dragon scale.

‘I don’t get why people think selfie sticks are embarrassing. They’re amazing!’ Byleth whipped out a yellow selfie stick with a Rilakkuma charm on it. ‘Can’t get these babe angles without them!’

Dimitri was terribly happy that Byleth wanted to take photos together. She even took a few photos on his phone for him.

Now Dimitri had his very own photos of Byleth!!!

Then, they crossed the road from Heroes’ Square to Linhardt’s favourite 24-hour bookshop.

Dimitri admitted that he hadn’t read a book in a long time. Did Byleth have any recommendations?

Byleth certainly did! She bought him a copy of _This Is How You Lose the Time War_ and asked if he would like an inscription from her inside?

Would he ever!

> _For Dimitri,_
> 
> _As a memento of me and our thrilling first date together._
> 
> _From Byleth_

Byleth’s tummy alerted them that it was time for dessert!

She took Dimitri to the late night markets, and they investigated at least a hundred food trucks and stalls to decide what most caught their fancy.

The markets were crowded and they kept being jostled apart. Dimitri became anxious every time he was separated from Byleth.

His relief and elation were unparalleled when Byleth intuited his feelings as she so often did. She glanced up at him with a small smile, then slipped her hand into his larger one and squeezed tight. He wasn’t sure if she was just treating him like a child, but holding her hand was the best feeling.

Eventually, Dimitri grew brave enough to separate her fingers and intertwine them with his… as if they were a real couple!!!

They got a big carton of piping hot loukoumades to share; a traditional Adrestian dessert of crispy, fried doughnut balls with sweet toppings. Dimitri had complete faith in Byleth’s tastes now, so he trusted they would be good. He got her to concede that time and paid for them.

‘None of that newfangled Nutella or salted caramel shit for us!’ Byleth declared passionately. ‘I am no enemy of modernity, but I will fight and die for classic loukoumades with simple, delicious syrup and cinnamon!’

They walked out onto one of the ornate stone bridges that crossed the canal, leaned against the parapet and looked out over the dark water and sleepless city. An ocean of incandescent pinpricks of light that stretched to the horizon.

The night felt endless. Dimitri wished it would be.

Byleth stabbed the first syrupy golden puff with a toothpick and fed it to him.

‘They remind me of the sweet buns in Faerghus that I really like. If you come back to Fhirdiad with me one day, I’ll get them for you…’ He trailed off shyly, realising he had said his thoughts out loud.

Dimitri’s heart was so warm when Byleth nodded and smiled at him. ‘I would really like that.’

‘Ugh, I definitely wasn’t thinking when I decided to wear this dress.’ Byleth placed her hands on her food baby with a humorous expression.

Dimitri laughed until he gave himself a headache.

They walked down to a grassy foreshore on the canal edge, populated by people with their bounty from the food stalls. A string of red paper lanterns illuminated them in a dim glow.

Byleth collapsed onto the grass with a groan and Dimitri joined her, still grinning despite the sharp pain at the back of his scalp.

He wasn’t sure where his courage came from, but he moved closer to Byleth and placed his hand on her tummy, rubbing it in soothing circles. She sighed happily and lay back, arms folded beneath her head.

‘Thanks, Dimitri! I’m sorry I’m such a guts…’

‘I don’t mind. Pfffft! It’s hilarious ahahaha!’

Byleth pouted at his entertainment at her expense, but then she laughed too. ‘Are you having a good time?’

‘I am.’ Dimitri smiled earnestly. ‘I’m really happy. Thank you.’

Byleth’s eyes grew warm and affectionate. ‘You’re welcome. I’m really happy too. I usually work on Friday and Saturday nights. I’m glad I asked for tonight off, even though I took last Saturday off for my birthday.’

‘Did you do that for me?’ Dimitri’s heart started beating so loudly, Byleth would probably hear it…

She most certainly heard it, because she burst into helpless laughter. ‘Dimitri, you are a delight to me! Yes, I did. It’s fine though, my coworker Hapi didn’t mind covering for me.’

‘What kind of work do you do?’ Dimitri asked. He had never known anyone his age who had a job.

‘Oh, I’m a very cool bartender!’ Byleth grinned. ‘I work at a bar called VA-11 Hall-A, pronounced Valhalla, which is the only cool thing about it. A very dingy bar in an area that isn’t as nice as this. That’s just a gimmick, though. The customers are rich but ~edgy. All the Marxists, the Communists, the anarchists, the plain old disillusioned, the depressed _legit_ writers, and pretentious shit writers who buy one drink and sit there pretending to read Hemingway, like, I’m serious, Dimitri— they don’t even turn the page once all night!’

Dimitri snorted with laughter. ‘Do you like working there?’

‘Yeah, I do.’ Byleth smiled up at him. ‘I love everyone who works there, I can wear whatever I like, I get a 40% staff discount but don’t even have to use it because customers buy me drinks [Dimitri was mildly disgruntled], I get paid more because of the late hours, and people are really generous with tips! Glenn and the others come almost every weekend too, so I end up having a lot of fun!’

Dimitri loved listening to her talk, building a picture of her life during the times he wasn’t with her. It was wonderful lying there with her, watching her beautiful face, seeing her smiles and laughter…

As fate would have it, Dimitri raised his gaze from Byleth for an instant, glancing at the pathway a short distance behind them… and froze.

That shade of red hair was impossible not to recognise.

Sylvain was passing by them, heading back towards the city, his arm draped around some blonde girl’s shoulders. Dimitri was hardly an adept at reading body language, but the way they looked at each other made him fairly sure they weren’t just friends.

Fate decided to make Sylvain look aside for an instant too. He glanced at Dimitri’s face, then did a double take. Sylvain’s eyes darted to the glossy black hair spread on the grass beside Dimitri, and he froze as well.

Byleth noticed Dimitri’s change in expression, raised herself onto her elbows and looked back over her shoulder.

Dimitri’s attention shifted to her immediately, feeling intensely upset. Her carefree air was sucked from her body, the lighthearted smile on her lips faded. However, the expression that followed was not what Dimitri anticipated. He was afraid Byleth would be hurt and upset. Instead, Byleth’s face settled into calm impassivity. As if she was merely… indifferent, disinterested.

It was so convincing. Dimitri knew she was lying with every fibre of her being.

Sylvain’s chaotic expressions were in stark contrast: wretched, guilty, ashamed, anguished… and frantically, desperately afraid.

Dimitri’s connection to Byleth was so keen in that moment, he felt overwhelmed by a sensation… The stirring of powerful, dormant emotions, caged somewhere inside her because she didn’t know what to do with them… how to make them go away.

At the surface lingered disillusionment, regret, unhappiness; wishing she could turn back the clock, erase the decisions that imprisoned her here.

She was also torn… she cared about Sylvain, felt responsible for him. He clung to her because he was weak and Byleth needed to protect him. She was beginning to hate him. She was sick of him.

All he gave her was hurt and betrayal. She wished over and over that she could get away.

But beneath that… there was self-hatred and bitter irony. Because she had no one to blame but herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Comments and kudos are very much loved xx


	13. The Less I Know the Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvain and Byleth’s confrontation reaches critical levels. Meanwhile, Dimitri spirals the more he learns and things start getting out of hand… Tragedy or comedy?

Byleth turned around and lay back down on the grass, settling her head comfortably on her arms again. Dimitri was rendered motionless. His hand still rested on Byleth’s midriff. That was the next thing Sylvain’s eyes fell to.

Taken aback by Byleth’s easy disregard of him, Sylvain wasn’t the easygoing, self-assured boy Dimitri remembered. Disentangling himself from the confused girl, he strode towards them. As he came into closer view, Dimitri saw the possessive fury darkening Sylvain’s handsome visage.

‘Take your fucking hands off her.’

Dimitri resented that.

His inner hothead went from 0 to 100 in a millisecond. Now, he was spoiling for a fight. He laughed and turned to Byleth, because if he was going to listen to anyone, it was her.

Byleth’s thoughts reverberated in a space they shared. She did _not_ expect him to laugh! She felt strangely proud of him - not sure why!

More than anything, the emotions that resonated between them when Dimitri laughed… They told Byleth that in some way— a reckless, inadvisable but thrilling way— the two of them truly were the same.

She grew closer to him everyday, but Dimitri began to see that theirs was an affinity which neither meant nor necessitated romantic love.

It left him torn.

That moment was electrifying… Byleth’s acknowledgement of their bond was the most intense and exhilarated response she had ever exhibited towards him. As if she was telling him that some part of each other had existed within them before they ever met.

Insoluble particles of matter. Somewhere in the nebula of self and identity.

When they found each other, they aligned.

Love was its own discrete entity, though. For Dimitri, those forms of connection had dissolved into each other, intensifying one another.

It just hadn’t happened for Byleth at the same time as him.

Dimitri knew that she was with him that night because his emotions touched her. She was happy being with him. He wasn’t there yet, but he was making his place in her heart.

Dimitri wasn’t a complete jerk, so he did move his hand away from Byleth, but it was obvious to Sylvain that his words had no bearing on that choice.

Dimitri’s defiance was less about individual ire than instinctual loyalty to Byleth. Sylvain seemed unsurprised by that, as if he recognised it well from seeing it in other people before. Despite that, he still hadn’t learnt how to deal with it. So, he was forced to face the person he least wanted to.

‘I thought you had work tonight.’

‘I did.’

‘Then why aren’t you at work?’

‘Didn’t go.’

Byleth’s dispassionate answers were only agitating Sylvain further.

‘What are you doing with him, Byleth?’

Byleth looked up and met his angry gaze upside down. ‘We ate dinner, went sightseeing, and then we were talking until you came. What are _your_ plans tonight?’

Sylvain’s complexion imperceptibly paled. He avoided her question, continuing to lash out at her. ‘Don’t lie to me! He was holding you. He was touching you like that…’

‘Dimitri was rubbing my tummy because it hurts. I ate too much.’

Sylvain’s entire demeanour changed. Golden-brown eyes grew warm with helpless affection and amused resignation owed to long familiarity. A silent _‘Of course you did.’_

His face wanted to smile at her… because he loved her. He really was in love with Byleth.

Dimitri saw that and his heart hurt.

It would be so much easier if Sylvain just didn’t love her. Dimitri hated Sylvain for the selfishness and entitlement to Byleth that emanated from him in waves.

Dimitri could sense the other boy’s insecurity and fear, but at the same time… something kept him afloat. There was no malice in the actions that hurt her. They didn’t make him happy, he despised himself for them; which helped him negate some of his guilt.

However, Sylvain had resigned himself to the way he was.

_‘It is what it is.’_

Byleth would always forgive him. There was always a little further he could push her.

And so, it would continue.

In the end, he would still have what he wanted most. Regardless of what it cost her.

Byleth sat up and turned to Dimitri, her eyes pleading with him. ‘Can we go, Dimitri? Please?’

Goddess, yes! He would like nothing better. Dimitri sprang to his feet and reached his hand to her. Byleth clasped it and launched herself to her feet. Without saying anything else, she held Dimitri’s hand and dragged him away, giving Sylvain a wide berth.

They climbed the slope, coming up onto the path. Byleth wasn’t interested in looking at the other girl, though Dimitri saw her stare at Byleth, genuinely unsure what was happening.

Sylvain stalked after them, furious and upset. The girl tried to talk to him but he brushed her aside.

Byleth was the object of his fixation now.

‘By!! Fucking stop walking away! Where are you going??’

Byleth didn’t respond. Gripping Dimitri’s hand tightly, she began walking even faster, but Sylvain caught up to them and yanked her back by her arm.

Seeing Byleth wince in pain was more than Dimitri could take. Sylvain staggered back, narrowly escaping having his wrist crushed. He was stunned for several seconds, both in pain and shocked by Dimitri’s strength.

‘I won’t hold back again.’ It was the most incandescent rage Dimitri had ever felt.

‘Fuck you.’ Sylvain didn’t touch Byleth again but he wasn’t done with her. ‘I knew you lied to me… Fucking gaslighting me that whole time. And you say _I’m_ the one who does it to you… telling me I’m imagining it… make me think I’m being delusional. You were fucking him after all!’

Byleth sighed. ‘Sylvain, I’m not you. Believe it or not, I like Dimitri and we even do things together besides fuck. Are you done interrupting us?’

Ok, Dimitri was definitely getting better at telling when Byleth’s blood was boiling.

Being told that they did things besides have sex upset Sylvain even more. Dimitri officially had zero idea what Sylvain’s problem was anymore.

‘By, please! Can’t we just stop being like this?’ He flashed a bitter glare at Dimitri. ‘This all started with _you_. You’ve been after Byleth ever since you got here! Forcing your way into our lives, always following her around…’

Before Dimitri could respond, Byleth squeezed his hand and he looked at her, miserable and afraid that Sylvain would convince her.

‘None of that is true. All you’ve done since you came into my life is make me happy…’ Neither he nor Sylvain were expecting the delighted laugh that burst out of her. ‘Dimitri, you might be the first person who’s ever protected _me._ ’

Sylvain rolled his eyes sarcastically. ‘Adorable. Byleth, this is fucking stupid. Please, let’s go home. Can’t we talk without him here? Stay with me tonight, please? Please just come with me… I love you, I don’t want to keep fighting with you. Please…’

‘I really don’t want to. I don’t want to go with you. I will talk to you, but I don’t want to do it tonight. I can’t think of anything that sickens me more than staying with you. The more I think about it, the more it sickens me. I really don’t want to spend tonight in a bed that stinks like cum, and you, and everyone you fucked this week. At least at the start, you changed your sheets before I came over.’

Sylvain stared at her, almost unable to believe that moment was real. That all the words spilling out of her were real. Things that didn’t have to be real as long as she didn’t say them.

Dimitri was just as much in disbelief. Why would Byleth stay if that wasn’t the kind of relationship she wanted or agreed to? How could someone who cared about her do that to her?

More than anything, Dimitri couldn’t understand Byleth.

Wait. Did tragedy like this actually exist?

Surely this was some terrible k-drama where Byleth would also reveal something like… having a heart transplant, acquiring the memories and feelings of the heart’s dead owner, i.e. donor… then meeting the donor’s lover, i.e. Sylvain, and falling in love with him… but Byleth had this existential crisis about whether her feelings were real or not, whether Sylvain’s feelings were truly for her or if they only came about because she had his dead lover’s ~vibes?!?!?!?!

And his dead lover liked sleeping in his unhygienic as fuck bed… Wasn’t that literally, like, STDs waiting to happen?!

What the actual fuck was happening???

Dimitri found himself desperately wishing Glenn or Felix were there. They would know what to do.

Felix would 100% want to spill blood, regardless of the situation, thus validating Dimitri’s desire to do the same.

Glenn was less predictable.

He might deconstruct and point out all the problems with Dimitri’s k-drama premise. Alternatively, he may love it and start to cry.

He may just cry as a discrete reaction.

There was a possibility that Glenn would record Byleth’s tragic soliloquy and cry because he was proud of her, cry because he felt her pain, or some other unknown reason.

But Glenn could also have the same reaction as Felix and Dimitri and go for Sylvain’s throat.

The common factor between all three boys was the potential eventuality of Sylvain’s death.

Mathematics wasn’t Dimitri’s strong suit but tonight, it was most definitely on his side.

He knew what he had to do…

Then, Byleth made a strange jerk with her hand— the one that wasn’t holding his— unclenching the tight fist she had been making.

To Dimitri’s horror, bleeding crescent-shaped cuts bloomed on her palm. The tips of her nails were bloody.

Ok, Dimitri had to stay calm and think.

Should he murder Sylvain before or after he took Byleth to the emergency department????!!!!!! Byleth was clever. She would know how much time she had before she bled to death.

Coolcoolcoolcoolcool.

Dimitri decided to wait for Byleth to finish speaking, then consult her on the matter.

He would make his murder plans accordingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated xx


	14. Heart Event

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelation sans resolution. Byleth and Glenn’s Messenger conversations. Dimitri is the best boy in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: swearing  
> Within the next couple of chapters, I'll probably edit the rating to M in light of some subject matter. Also means I can work in ~steamy scenes in the future.......

‘Byleth, please! Please don’t go with him! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… you don’t know how much I hate myself for hurting you! I… I feel sick… I only want you, I just want to be with you, By… You’re the only person… you said you love me too, you won’t give up on me! If you leave me, I really will be alone. You’re the only one who loves me… you’re all I have. Please don’t give up on me! If _you_ give up on me, I won’t be able to bear it! Please don’t leave me!! I’m so sorry!’

Sylvain’s anger vanished in the aftermath of Byleth’s emphatic refusal. Dimitri watched him deflate; shrinking, growing pitiful. Perhaps, it was the first time Byleth had talked to him that way. Or he was adapting, trying to get at her some other way.

Whatever. In the moment that Sylvain hurt Byleth, Dimitri had ceased to have any empathy for him.

‘I’m sorry, I’ll just talk to him for a minute. Please wait, don’t go without me…’

What??!! Dimitri clung on in panic when Byleth tried to let go of his hand. She met his worried eyes and he caught the reassuring and slightly playful sparkle in her indigo gaze.

‘Don’t worry, Dima. I won’t hold back again either.’

Dima?

Had Byleth just… given him a nickname????

BYLETH HAD A NICKNAME FOR HIM?!?!?!

His beloved Byleth had a nickname for him!!!!!!!!!!

Dimitri the Mighty Protector was temporarily disarmed. Byleth flew the coop.

* * *

6.00pm

 **Glenn:** GOOD LUCK!!!

 **Glenn:** be nice! he’s so happy, i can’t even joke about it. i think he really likes you

 **Glenn:** i’m starting to worry that this is just going to hurt him

 **Byleth:** I like Dimitri, I don’t want to hurt him. I’m going to talk to him about it tonight

 **Byleth:** Here I go!! I hope I look ok.. Talk later cutie

**Glenn** : how dare you? i made you that dress!! you are a grand beauty

**Glenn:** bet you 10 bucks he’ll forget how to talk

 **Byleth:** That’s why this is my favourite dress. Thank you!!!

 **Byleth:** He’s terribly cute… I want to give him everything in the world including myself, then just die so that I can be the ideal love of his life forever

 **Byleth:** Going for real now

**Glenn:** WHAT? what did i just read???

 **Glenn:** ok i’m going to make tea while my brain processes this subtext

* * *

7.57pm

 **Glenn:** update???

* * *

9.00pm

 **Glenn:** Fe and i are bORED!!!!!

**Glenn:** i’m playing Stardew Valley. i can’t believe you divorced Sebastian to marry Sam AGAIN!! you’ve married Sam in all your lifetimes!

 **Glenn:** how could you do that to Sebastian after his 10 heart motorbike scene?!?!? you heartless wench!!!!

 **Glenn:** also Emily is the best, you don’t know what you’re missing :”]

* * *

9.28pm

 **Glenn:** i have a tummy ache

 **Glenn:** either this suspense is setting off my IBS

 **Glenn:** or the coverage of our telepathic link has increased and you failed to exercise self-control as usual

 **Glenn:** Felix says if you purge tonight, be very very ashamed of yourself

* * *

‘I want to stop! You know I do… I was trying to stop for you, I really was, then I just lost control… I promise I’m going to try again. There’s something wrong with me, By… I know I disgust you, I can’t bear it…’

‘That’s not it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. You feel differently to the way I do. I just want to stop pretending that I _don’t_ feel the way I do. I really tried to be different for you too, Syl. I loved you so I tried to accept that you love me. That it only matters what it’s like when I’m with you.’ Byleth’s voice was laden with irony. ‘But it’s not that easy and you don’t help me. You pointlessly lie and make excuses when I’m not even asking you anything. You lie right to my face, telling me I’m seeing things that aren’t really there… even when the things are _people_ who are right there, talking and apologising to me after I’ve walked in on you… because _you_ begged to see me after I finished work, _you_ asked to let myself in since it’s late, but then you just forgot…’

It wasn’t a k-drama.

The k-dramas Dimitri had watched weren’t so cruel. Not in that way.

There _was_ one Dimitri saw a while back… A stepmother cut the living heart out of her stepson to transplant into her own son, then put the dead boy’s body in a car, pushed it off a cliff into the sea, and some other convoluted side plot stuff.

Cue heart-related paranormal hijinks, the fateful meetings of past lovers…

…

…

Dimitri began to see a trend.

‘Some of them cared more about what I felt than you did.’ Byleth exhaled a sarcastic, rueful sigh. ‘I’m ending my rebellion against cultural hegemony. I realise it’s a privilege, but I think I’m just fine with the status quo. I won’t force myself anymore: trying so hard to be different; believing I’m weak because I can’t be. It was hard to accept, but I don’t think I’m selfish to put my own mental health and happiness first. Glenn and I’ve been learning… we don’t need to fight for what we don’t believe in. It’s fine for you to have that too. I can’t be your reason to change. It’s too much for me to bear. I’m sorry.’

Sylvain swiped at his eyes with his sleeve. His face had grown tight with bitter malice.

‘Fuck you and Glenn! Rodrigue and Jeralt pat you on the back as long as you take your meds, go to your psychologists and stay inside doing your cute, relaxing hobbies together, because at least you’re not fucking up your lives or someone else’s. Like, their expectations are _that_ low…’

‘You’re a condescending prick.’ Byleth turned her back on Sylvain and walked back to Dimitri. ‘I’m sorry, Dimitri. I’ve wasted enough of your time. Let’s go.’

‘They’re so afraid you’ll spiral again, the three of you get to play around as much as you like. The world fucked you up sooo much, you need to rest and recover! Which is a fucking joke because the world’s never even touched you! Rodrigue and Jeralt just wipe your asses every fucking time! You dissociate from the past by telling each other that’s not who you are anymore. You, Glenn, Felix… just putting your stupid heads together to come up with your next stupid idea. Backing each other up, egging each other on, then covering up for each other when things go to shit! You don’t care about anyone but yourselves!’

What was Sylvain talking about?

Byleth’s nails were digging viciously into her palms again.

Discarding his selfish desire to end Sylvain’s life, Dimitri wrapped a protective arm around Byleth and began to walk back towards the market grounds. Taking her nearer hand in his own, he gently uncurled her fingers so she wouldn’t keep hurting herself.

When she looked at him, Byleth’s face was a whorl of gratitude, misery and a barely restrained urge for violence. Dimitri realised he wasn’t the only one who wanted to beat Sylvain into a pulp.

At least he wasn’t following anymore, but Sylvain continued yelling after them.

‘You and Glenn are that drugged up, everything’s just an endless film you’re making, acting and seeing together! Will you tell your sweet prince what you’re really like?? Think he’s going to keep looking at you with those doting blue eyes?! Hey, Dimitri! When Byleth tells your bedtime story tonight, ask her what she and Felix did to my brother!! Because that’s not even their worst!’

Something snapped and Byleth whirled around.

‘Fuck you, asshole!!! Next time you go home to your fucking inbred snow country backwater, your dad can tell you a story too! He was soooo done giving Miklan rim jobs, he said he wished I’d just ended the fucking sicko creep and done the world a favour! Yeah, fuck you!!! And fuck your rapist brother!!!! EAT SHIT, GAUTIER!!!!’

* * *

11.00pm

 **Glenn:** Felix and i are worried

 **Glenn:** but maybe your date’s just going really well…

 **Glenn:** yeah nah we both fear the worst!!!!!!!!! if you don’t reply by 12, i’m calling the police!!!

11.00pm

 **Felix:** Dimitri, has Byleth broken you? Have you broken her?

* * *

Dimitri raced out of the 24-hour convenience store, relieved to see Byleth still waiting for him on the park bench. When he sat down beside her, she obediently held out her hands. Dimitri carefully did the best job he could with Dettol, cotton makeup pads and Band-Aids.

When he was done, Byleth took one of his hands in both of her own.

‘Thank you. I don’t know how to show you how sorry I am. I was such a fool! We should’ve just left. It’s my fault you got caught up in this stupid shit again. I hate myself for it! I regret the way I spoke and acted in front of you. I’m really sorry. But I promise I’ll explain the things he said… about what I did…’

Byleth paused when Dimitri smiled and removed a blade of grass from her mussed ponytail.

‘I’m fine as long as you’re going to be alright. I’ll wait until you want to talk. Or if the past doesn’t matter to you anymore, then it doesn’t matter to me either. I’m just really glad you stayed with me.’

Byleth’s eyes filled with glimmering tears and she blinked them away desperately.

‘Me too. Dimitri, thank you so much.’ Byleth’s lip wobbled but she looked happy. ‘I could feel… that you lent me your strength. Thank you.’

Unable to resist, Dimitri caressed Byleth’s cheek lightly with the back of his hand. She did so many things to his heart when she blushed. Her thumbs began softly tracing the lines on his palm.

Suddenly, Dimitri remembered!

‘I know your tummy hurt before… but I got this for you. I checked to make sure it doesn’t have gelatine in it.’

Byleth stared at the crème caramel pudding cup Dimitri placed in her hands. Slowly, she removed the foil cover and picked up the little spoon.

When Byleth put the first spoonful into her mouth, she began to cry. Then, smiling and blubbering uncontrollably at the same time, she held up a spoonful for Dimitri too.

* * *

11.53pm

 **Byleth:** I’m sorry for worrying you!!!!!! Some stuff happened but please don’t stress. Dimitri and I are safe. I’ll call you in the morning and report!

 **Byleth:** I divorced Sebastian because I was unhappy. Sam makes me happy everyday. He says I’m beautiful even when I’m covered in mud from farming. He still blushes when he remembers our 10 heart event when he kissed me in his bed. He can’t cook but he makes me instant pancakes in the morning and bakes me frozen pizza for dinner! He really loves me and I really love him.

 **Glenn:** THANK SEIROS!!!!!

 **Glenn:** i’m already fucking stressed!!!!!! also you go to sleep at like 3am. call now!!!! you kept me and Felix waiting all this time

 **Glenn:** i understand why you love Sam now and 100% support your decision

 **Byleth:** I can’t call now

 **Glenn:** WHY NOT????

 **Byleth:** I’m with Dimitri

 **Glenn:** ohhhhhhhhhh!! where are you guys now?

 **Byleth:** At his house

 **Glenn:** hmm ok i’ll be patient

11.58pm

 **Glenn:** no i can’t do it!!! tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the TRUTH

 **Byleth:** …

 **Byleth:** I’m staying over at his house tonight. Dimitri is looking after me. He’s making me mint tea and a hot water bottle right now… because I had no self-control. He’s so caring, I feel like my heart is going to burst. I want to cry everywhere. His room is so neat and clean, just breathing the air makes me feel better. He lent me one of his t-shirts and it smells really good. His sheets feel so clean and smell so nice! He’s being so kind to me, Glenn. He even put my dress on a hanger in the wardrobe. Now I’m crying.

 **Glenn:** Byleth, are you high?

 **Glenn:** that’s really cute, i’m kind of emotional now

 **Glenn:** if Dimitri isn’t your future husband, i pray that he be mine

 **Glenn:** wait

 **Glenn:** his room?

 **Glenn:** his SHEETS???

 **Byleth:** It’s not like that… but I’m kind of happy. Ok I’m a lot happy

**Byleth:** Dimitri’s coming back! I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. Good night!!

 **Glenn:** how can you leave me on this cliffhanger???

 **Glenn:** i am hyperventilating!!!!!!

 **Glenn:** …

 **Glenn:** A BLIGHT UPON YOUR PUMPKIN FIELDS!!!!!!!!! MAY YOU PASS OUT IN THE MINES AND LOSE YOUR INFINITY BLADE AND RUN OUT OF MAPLE SYRUP SO YOU CAN’T MAKE MAPLE BARS FOR SAM!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate your comments and kudos as always ♥


	15. Blades, Blood and Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Dimitri’s Messenger conversations. Dimitri and Byleth’s sleepover. Byleth tells him the story of what happened on their trip to Faerghus: when they met Miklan Gautier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: referenced rape. Non-graphic, non-explicit.

Byleth walked Dimitri to the entrance of his apartment building to make sure he went inside safely!

Then Dimitri realised Byleth would be alone on the walk back to the car. He would walk her back to make sure she was safe!

Byleth pointed out their conundrum. They blinked at each other for a few seconds and reached no solution.

‘I wish I had more time with you.’

Byleth’s face fell. ‘I feel the same. I’m… a bit sad leaving you, to be honest.’

The words came out of him. ‘You don’t have to leave. Stay with me.’

* * *

11.00pm

**Felix:** Dimitri, has Byleth broken you? Have you broken her?

11.45pm

**Dimitri:** I’m confused so I can’t confirm

**Felix:** What does that mean?

**Dimitri:** Sorry, what are you talking about?

**Felix:** …

**Felix:** Glenn was worried about you two. Seems like you’re fine so it’s all good.

**Felix:** What are YOU talking about?

**Dimitri:** Sylvain saw us. Then he and Byleth had a fight. It sounded bad but I can’t tell if they broke up or not

**Felix:** Wow

**Felix:** Did not expect things to escalate this quickly

**Felix:** Dimitri, from now on you report directly to me. Summarise what you witnessed.

**Dimitri:** He’s been cheating on her like she’s even walked in on him with people and stuff. He doesn’t even try to hide it from her. He was with a girl tonight but fucker went off at Byleth instead. We walked away but he grabbed her and hurt her arm. I hurt his wrist but stopped before I broke it

**Felix:** Sounds like self-control was unnecessary, but continue.

**Dimitri:** He said he wants to change for her but something’s wrong with him? Byleth said there’s nothing wrong with him, they’re just different. She felt it was weak to fail, but she won’t force herself anymore

**Felix:** I see. Everything makes sense now.

**Dimitri:** He started insulting her and Glenn. Then he said you and Byleth did something to his brother. That’s when she lost her temper and yelled at him

**Felix:** Yes, I can guess what she said.

**Dimitri:** We left after that

**Felix:** Good. I’ll tell you more soon. Tonight was more productive than I could have hoped.

**Felix:** Anyway, how are you feeling?

**Dimitri:** I still want to break his face but I’ve calmed down, starting to feel better now

**Felix:** Good to hear. Don’t worry, I intend to take care of the rest. Anything else?

**Dimitri:** I need help. What kind of breakfast food does Byleth like?

**Felix:** Random question but ok. She likes many things.

**Dimitri:** Something more specific please?

**Felix:** …

**Felix:** She likes pancakes and crêpes, I guess. The simple ones. Not the monstrosities covered in strawberries and cream and disgusting shit. Why do you ask?

**Dimitri:** So I can try to make breakfast for her in the morning

**Felix:** …

**Felix:** As in she’s coming over in the morning? Or she’s going to be with you until morning?

**Dimitri:** …

**Dimitri:** The latter but not in the way it sounds

**Felix:** It seems I underestimated you.

**Felix:** Then I’ll count on you to look after By.

**Felix:** You did well.

**Felix:**

****

* * *

Returning to his room and seeing Byleth sitting on his bed, waiting for him, made Dimitri’s heart ache with wonder. Having her there was a dream made reality. It was also the first time Dimitri had witnessed the phenomenon of the girl he loved wearing his clothes. It made him happier than he had imagined. It heightened his awareness of every part of her body… and Dimitri thought Byleth had the most incredible body in existence.

The arms of his t-shirt hung adorably off her slender shoulders. The fabric draped over her breasts, the swell of her hips… her bare legs dangled off the side of the bed…

She was so beautiful that she made Dimitri’s hands shake. He narrowly avoided spilling mint tea all over the floor.

He found her a new toothbrush and they brushed their teeth side by side. Byleth’s eyes sparkled at him in the mirror. Afterwards, Dimitri bandaged her hands with proper cotton and gauze.

‘Thank you so much.’ Byleth’s smile was so lovely. She hesitated for a second then gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes. ‘In spite of what happened, I’m really happy right now. I feel more cared for than I can remember for a long time. I don’t know how to express how grateful I am… I’m truly glad we met, Dimitri.’

They climbed into bed together and Byleth curled up comfortably beside him. Dimitri felt so unbelievably content.

They watched an episode of _Descendants of the Sun_ on Netflix. It was really corny but also kind of great, and they kept cackling during the romantic scenes.

One of the scenes inspired Byleth to test her superior reflexes!

Dimitri was cast in Song Hye-kyo’s role, while Byleth played Song Joong-ki’s part of the ‘super cool and athletic’ Special Forces captain. She gave Dimitri her phone as a prop.

Dimitri obediently did as directed and pretended to be talking on the phone. Staying in character, a casual, nonchalant expression on her face, Byleth knocked the phone out his hand…

To Dimitri’s awe and Byleth’s gleeful rejoicing, she caught it in midair! With only a minor sting in her wounds.

Then she realised she had an advantage because Dimitri was taller, which meant the phone had further to fall.

Byleth returned to bed and sulked silently for the rest of the episode.

Dimitri lay on his back. Byleth rolled over and propped herself onto her elbows to look at his face.

‘It was the school holidays so Rodrigue took us to Faerghus with him. Glenn and Felix hadn’t been back for over five years. That’s when I met Sylvain for the first time.’

The photos of their trip had filled Dimitri with regret— regret that he wasn’t lucky enough to find Byleth then. He felt all the more bitter realising that Sylvain had instead.

‘We went to stay with the Gautiers up north for two nights. Miklan was on leave from the army for a few days, so he was there too. He’s a few years older than us. I think he was twenty-four or twenty-five then. He was the son from Mr Gautier’s first marriage. Syl’s mother, Giselle, was Mr Gautier’s second wife.’

‘The first night, Rodrigue and Mr Gautier took everyone out to dinner. Giselle wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed back. Fe and I didn’t want to go either. We thought Syl was annoying as fuck. Besides, we had other plans. So we pretended we felt sick too. Giselle said the three of us could eat dinner together at home.’

‘We were _obsessed_ with Heroes Relics and all the old Kingdom war stories. Fe had a “source” who told him that House Gautier never handed everything over to the Church like they were meant to. We also saw a Reddit theory that there were secret weapons used in Loog’s Rebellion. Weapons as powerful as Heroes Relics and even looked like them. After the War of the Eagle and Lion, King Loog entrusted them to Margrave Gautier to help defend against Sreng. That’s how House Gautier held the border on their own for so many years. You can probably guess what Fe and I were up to…’

Dimitri couldn’t help smiling at the image as he played with Byleth’s hair, winding the long strands around his fingers.

‘You were going treasure hunting?’

‘Their house was old and there were so many rooms. We decided to split up to speed things up. Fe started at one end of the hallway and I took the other side, so we’d meet up in the middle.’

Dimitri’s chest clenched with rage and fearful apprehension began to course through his body.

Had Miklan really hurt Byleth?

Byleth felt his agitation. ‘It’s not what you think. He never got that far with me. I was… lucky.’

‘Her room was right at the end. Those old stone walls were so thick, I didn’t hear her from outside. When I opened the door to search that room, that’s when I heard her crying. When I saw what was happening, I just went right at him. It never crossed my mind that _I_ might be in danger in a situation like that. I don’t think that would’ve stopped me either way. I managed to knock him off his feet so Giselle could get away from him. She ran out screaming for help, but we were the only ones home. None of us had realised Miklan didn’t go with the others.’

‘I didn’t know at the time how messed up Miklan was. It was like… he didn’t care what came later. I don’t think he cared whether he got away with it or not. He just wanted to hurt her… He tried to go after Giselle again, but I tangled his legs and kept him down. That’s when he turned on me. He hit me so hard, he dislocated my left kneecap. It hurt so much, he managed to twist out of my legs. He got on top and I couldn’t grapple him at all. I was finally scared for real. No matter how well I could fight, I couldn’t even move against his strength. Miklan was screaming at me; calling me a bitch, he would teach me a lesson, then break my neck… He looked insane…’

Dimitri reached and cupped the side of her face tenderly. Her fingertips traced over his knuckles, then Byleth leaned into his caress and her eyes fluttered shut.

‘He grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the ground. I think he assumed that was enough to knock me out, but I have a thick skull… Pun unintended. I was dazed for a moment. But then, I completely flipped.’

‘It sounds so ridiculous now, but we were literally the kind of teenagers who carried blades hidden in our clothes. I can’t even make fun of it, because we used them…’

‘When someone pissed me off, I felt no pity for them after that. Action and consequence didn’t link up in my mind when I was that angry. The point at which I would stop was always way after most others would’ve stopped… so I ended up hurting people a lot worse than I thought in my head.’

‘The stupid asshole did me a favour. When he raised my hips to pull my jeans off, I got my hand to my back pocket easy. I sliced him across the face with all my strength and he sat back, bleeding everywhere. That’s when Fe ran in, after he saw Giselle in the hallway. He kicked Miklan in the side of the head and toppled him off me. Then Fe realised what Miklan had been trying to do. He lost it too. My kneecap snapped into place when my leg straightened. I was in agony but I was too fucking furious. We kicked the shit out of Miklan. He lost consciousness quickly. I wasn’t anywhere near satisfied…’

‘We realised we’d gone too far and panicked. Looking back, I can’t believe how stupid we were. Fe said we’d better make the injuries look like an accident. We dragged Miklan to the top of the stairs and kicked him the whole way down. Giselle had disappeared by then. I never saw her again. Then we legged it to our rooms, showered and washed our clothes. Afterwards, we hung out in my room and waited to see what would happen.’

‘Giselle had called Mr Gautier and he came back from town alone. He drove Miklan to the hospital before everyone got home, rather than call an ambulance. He’d only told Rodrigue what happened. Rodrigue drove us back to Fraldarius the same night. Fe and I still didn’t realise how bad we hurt Miklan. Glenn was just pissing himself laughing at how dumb we were, then Rodrigue yelled at him instead of us. He didn’t say anything to us. I think he was more terrified than we were.’

‘Fe told him about my leg, so Rodrigue took me to a hospital once we got out of there. I had some torn ligaments in my knee but they healed in a couple of months.’

‘Mr Gautier came to see us the next day. He said he felt Miklan was messed up for a long time but never thought he’d do something so horrendous. Mr Gautier had divorced Miklan’s mother to marry Giselle, and he openly favoured Syl. I guess Miklan suffered that way, but I didn’t care whether the rapist had a sad childhood or not. Still don’t. Anyway, that’s when Mr Gautier said he wished Miklan had died. He didn’t even know what to do with the fucker. Giselle didn’t want anyone to learn what happened to her. Mostly, she didn’t want Syl to know. Fe and I said yeah cool, whatever she wants. At that stage, we just wanted to come home. Rodrigue got us flights back to Enbarr that night.’

‘Syl wasn’t _that_ stupid, so he guessed that the two of us were involved. Especially with Rodrigue spiriting us away that night. When he moved here and we met again, we talked about that night. I admitted Miklan and I got into a fight, but I never told Syl what about. Turned out Miklan was really abusive to Syl as a child too. Neither Syl nor Giselle cared if he lived or died. Mr Gautier disowned Miklan too. I don’t know what happened to him after that.’

‘He had pretty bad TBI. We didn’t understand what some of his injuries even meant, like we had to google all the words. Cerebral contusions, subdural hematoma, other stuff I don’t remember… We did understand that we gave him a few skull fractures, caved his face in and broke lots of ribs. He had to get facial reconstructive surgery, but they left the sexy scar I gave him across his face. We also stamped the shit out of his disgusting prick. I hope he never gets it up again.’

‘Some time later, Glenn found out from listening in on Rodrigue and Jeralt talking… Miklan raped other women in the past. Mr Gautier paid them off. That’s why he sent Miklan off to military school in the first place. He knew his son was a rapist fuck that whole time.’

* * *

‘Truthfully, I don’t feel any remorse over what I did. I never thought I’d throw the truth in Sylvain’s face like that, though. He’s brought that story up before when he wanted to make me feel guilty. I want him to go learn the fucking truth and keep his stupid mouth shut about stuff he has no fucking idea about.’

Then, an unexpected vulnerability descended over Byleth’s features. ‘This time, I knew he wanted to hurt me with it. He thought you wouldn’t want anything to do with me if you knew something like that. I realised… that’s the main reason his words made me so angry and upset. I’m afraid of the same thing.’

She watched him with a lost expression, as if she didn’t know what to do with her body while she waited for him to judge her.

‘Byleth…’ How could he even express everything he felt for her?

Her skin was luminous in the moonlight. When he met the dark, inky pools of her eyes, he plunged in. His love and desire for her felt endless. It grew deeper and more intense everyday.

It was yet another first time… the emotions she conjured in him… the reckless, desperate, mad yearning for her intimacy engulfed him. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted to ask if she was really done with Sylvain. Everything was still so unclear to him.

He wished he could know what she felt about him. How did _he_ make her feel? Did she feel at all like he did, being as close as they were in that moment? Did Byleth see him even a little bit differently that night?

Every day he needed to be patient was agony.

But Dimitri controlled his feelings with every ounce of his strength. He knew Byleth was vulnerable right then, and he didn’t want to push her or hurt her. She had been hurt so much that night.

He loved her. He really hoped she would feel that.

When he opened his arms, Byleth came to him at once and he held her close. She laid her head on his chest and he felt her release a long, deep breath. Slowly, the tension drained from her and her body grew soft, melted against his own.

Helpless with affection, Dimitri kissed the crown of her head and heard a small sleepy ‘mm’ sound in her throat. He felt that she was comforted… and happy. That he made her happy.

That was enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated x


	16. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday morning, Part 1. Felix calls a meeting of the Anti-Sylveth Party. Saturday morning, Part 2.

Eloise, the cook who came in during the day, was a sedate, proper middle-aged lady who talked very little and rarely smiled.

However, on that particular morning, when Dimitri tiptoed downstairs and begged her to help him surprise Byleth with breakfast in bed, her face was transformed by a bright, kindly smile.

From that day onwards, the pair were great friends. Eloise agreed to accept Dimitri as her pupil— so he could learn to make even more things for Byleth in the future!

First of all, while most of Enbarr still slumbered, Eloise armed Dimitri with a pair of kitchen shears and sent him on a covert mission… to thieve flowers from an unsuspecting neighbour’s garden!!!

Eloise revealed her true mastery of the culinary arts. For a wise and visionary cook is never destabilised by guests with varying dietary requirements!

The butter, milk and eggs stayed in the fridge. Luckily, Anselma drank almond milk so they used it instead. Dimitri diligently took notes as Eloise explained vegan substitutions of olive oil, vinegar, etc.

Finally, Dimitri set to work!

Byleth stirred awake to her alarm and stretched with tired languor. Her drowsy eyes searched for Dimitri, then she sat up.

‘Dimitri?’

Dimitri stopped last-minute stressing and came to her at once. He went down on his knees at her bedside and she looked at him with an air of bemusement. A bit embarrassed, in addition to being more desperately in love with her than ever, Dimitri presented his action-packed posy of red hibiscus, pink astilbe, gardenias, and stems of fuchsia and orange bougainvillea.

The radiant smile that graced Byleth’s face as she accepted the flowers took Dimitri’s breath away.

Then, her eye was caught by his offering of devotion and comestibles!

The rustic wooden tray on the bed was laid with a pretty embroidered cloth. The pale blue crockery was bordered by tiny white flowers and brown leaves, which Dimitri had thought she might like.

When Byleth saw his labour of love— the stack of shapeless lemony, sugary pancakes— her eyes filled with tears.

‘Um, Felix told me you like pancakes and Eloise, our cook, helped me a lot with the preparation… but I did the rest myself! I hope you like them.’

Byleth nearly toppled headfirst from the bed as she threw herself at Dimitri and hugged him.

‘Thank you! Thank you so much… thank you!’ She said over and over in a tear-congested voice. She turned her face… and kissed him on the cheek!

That was it.

Dimitri would die a happy man…

‘Dima, please don’t die!!!!!!!!!’

Wait.

Byleth used his nickname again!!!

Dimitri was instantly resuscitated. He decided to remain amongst the living a while longer!

Dimitri climbed back into bed with Byleth and proudly basked in her praise.

She wanted to share breakfast with him and fed him morsels of pancake with her own fork! Then she praised him some more!!!

When they had finished eating, Byleth showered and dressed. Afterwards, they took the tray back to the kitchen together. Byleth introduced herself to Eloise and thanked her in person.

Dimitri witnessed the spiritual subscription of another member to Byleth’s fan club.

They returned to his room holding hands.

Seeing Byleth in her dress instead of his t-shirt made Dimitri extremely forlorn. It signalled that she would be leaving him soon. He wished he could keep her there just a little longer.

Byleth guided him to sit at the edge of his bed. Stepping between his knees, she stroked his bangs aside, bent down and kissed him on the forehead.

‘Thank you, Dimitri. This is the most wonderful morning of my life.’

* * *

‘If there’s one bad thing about By going all ~zen, it’s that she doesn’t bother to change something unless she has significant motivation for it. She espouses the whole “inaction is still action” bullshit now. In other words, she walks the path of least resistance. In the good old days, we fought side by side and carved out a bloody path for ourselves!!!!!’

‘Did I hear Felix make an electrical analogy?’ Linhardt’s head rose from the desk, eyes two thirds shut.

‘What? I’m talking about BYLETH!’

‘…My mistake.’ Linhardt returned to his repose.

Felix resumed his impassioned speech. ‘At the same time, an inherent trait she possesses is her stubborn refusal to appear weak. Combine the two qualities and you have Byleth Eisner’s Achilles heel. In the context of her unfortunate life choices regarding Sylvain Jose Gautier; I believe By saw herself as weak for feeling like the standard monogamous heterosexual human female. Instead of dump his ass and find a nice, standard monogamous heterosexual human male who’d believe her pussy was magic, and worship at her altar ten times a day…’

‘Felix, must you be so crass?’ Ferdinand was pink-faced and spluttering.

Felix ignored him. ‘I think By didn’t want to show anyone that she was hurt, jealous and betrayed. She sees those emotions as weak! Extrapolating from our similar personalities, it all makes sense to me now. She thought she’d become stronger by defeating these base human emotions!!!’

When Glenn finally spoke, Dimitri realised he was the most deeply affected by the revelation.

‘I think By just fell in love with him and wanted to make it work. Tried to be accepting and open-minded. But the conditions he set her were manipulative and unfair from the start. Why didn’t she tell _me_ …?’

‘Same reason as any of us, I imagine,’ Linhardt said in a surprisingly wise voice, lifting his head again. ‘You would have tried to convince her to leave him. Byleth isn’t stupid. I’m sure she knew what she _should_ do. In theory. Maybe she just thought she could do it herself, without everyone telling her what she already knew?’

‘Fine, so let’s say Sylvain suffered from emotional trauma that manifested in a drive for affirmation from multiple females, which he sustains through serial, compulsive sexual activity. Deep down, he’s a hurt, sad little boy. So what? He’s not the only one! We’ve _all_ suffered some kind of trauma. He gets no special consideration on that count.’

Edelgard’s voice was cold and unfeeling.

‘Regardless of whether the act is a conscious choice or not, he’s _aware_ that he’s hurting By. That’s what condemns him in my eyes. She shouldn’t have let a toxic situation like that continue either, but Sylvain made it hard for her to let go too. He kept saying she’s the only person he truly feels anything with, she’s the only one he will ever be capable of loving, if she gives up on him it’ll break him for good, blah blah… He’s selfish and unreasonable! He wants her back, despite knowing he’ll keep hurting her. I won’t let it happen. I intend to use this opportunity to make sure they are never ever ever getting back together!’

Edelgard’s weak attempt at humour made Glenn chuckle a bit. Then he began chortling in delight.

‘Edelgard, you reminded me of something! I shall summarise our findings with the greatest lyrics I’ve heard in recent times: Can’t make a wife out of a ho!’

‘The arrival of our dear new friend has begun to thaw her dormant heart! A heart capable of the finest love and grandest passion, which she never felt safe enough to…’

Ferdinand worked himself up into tears and couldn’t continue the closing address. Felix had to lead him back to his seat.

Felix delivered the closing address to the Anti-Sylveth Party in Ferdinand’s stead.

‘I believe Dimitri has made By realise that the world holds promise of actual nice things. She will want more nice things. Hopefully, she will keep wanting nice things and learn that it’s really nice to have nice things! In the meantime, I will guard and defend her! Any malevolent red-haired fuckhead who so much as _looks_ at her will know the wrath of House Fraldarius.’

* * *

Tears stung his eyes at the joy and affection in her voice.

He leaned his head against her midriff with a sigh and fixed his blurry gaze on her bare feet. The nail polish on her toes matched her fingernails. A shade of black with a deep violet hue.

Her nails hadn’t been painted when he saw her hands in the pottery studio that afternoon. Had she painted them for her date with him?

It made him happy to imagine that, perhaps, Byleth had done it with him in mind, even just a little.

Dimitri’s hands moved to her legs, tracing the soft skin at the back of her knees. The sensation of his touch made her toes curl on the floorboards.

As with several things Byleth did, Dimitri found the sight inexplicably erotic. Slightly breathless, he looked up at her face and saw that she was adorably flustered.

Dimitri had accidentally discovered a place on Byleth’s body where she was very, very sensitive!

Smirking at her, he circled his fingertips on her skin again and Byleth groaned, tortured but amused by Dimitri’s obvious enjoyment.

‘What does that feel like?’

‘Like being tickled, but _just_ before it becomes really unbearable. It feels strangely good, but I also want to curl up into a ball and SCREAM!!!’

Dimitri choked with laughter, because he had brushed her skin again and really made her scream.

‘Please! No more!’

Byleth’s knees had started to wobble and she tried to escape his hold. Instead, she found herself taken in his arms and gently flipped onto her back on the bed. Dimitri propped himself up with his hands on either side of her, so that he wouldn’t crush her.

He was transfixed by the sight of beautiful Byleth lying beneath him on his bed. Charcoal tresses spread around her on the sheets…. pooling like ink, catching the light like silk.

Byleth’s lips were parted slightly with laughter and surprise. The dark cherry hue and shimmer of her lipgloss was irrevocably associated with her, after all the hours Dimitri spent captivated by her mouth.

But what thrilled him most of all… The blue of her irises deepened, her gaze grew unfocussed and hazy… He suddenly realised that she sensed the same heady charge in the air between them, and it affected her too.

‘You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.’ His voice had grown oddly hoarse.

Then, Dimitri’s goddess smiled for him and his heart stopped and started again, and it fucking hurt but it was also one of the best feelings in the world.

They lay there together, Dimitri’s head nestled against her neck and his arm wrapped around her waist. Byleth’s fingers combed through the hair at the back of his head.

‘I didn’t think someone like you could really exist. Not for someone like me. Suddenly, you’re here. You’re real, you’re right in front of me… and you want to give _me_ this incredible love you’re capable of. But I spent all this time writing my tragic self-narrative… Trying to create something literary… some wankery pretence of art out of a life that suffocated me. Maybe Glenn and I do get carried away with our need for stories. I’ve felt like there’s this curse on me that I can’t escape. Everything I want ends up being wrong. When I believe someone, they’re always lying. So many people make me feel like I’m some special, ideal human being, but the one I fell in love with; the person I wanted to be special to… When I realised he literally couldn’t give me that, all I thought was “Of course.”’

Byleth’s breath hitched in her throat.

‘The truth is… Dimitri, I feel so scared. There’s this sick, urgent sense inside me that I need to start getting ready, because the worst imaginable thing that can happen _will_ happen.’ He felt her laugh quietly. ‘I’m like one of those fucking doomsday preppers! I know I’m not in a healthy place to be with anyone. But in that moment, when Ferdie was reading your letter, I looked at Glenn and knew he was thinking this thing we’re trying to do, but it’s really not fucking easy, because it’s borderline reckless, which we’re trying _not_ to be! “Don’t think of all the reasons not to do something. All you need is one good reason to do it.” So, I did it… and now I’m here with you. But I think I was selfish and unfair and naïve. I accepted your feelings and care when I _know_ I’m not good enough, Dima. If I choose to do it anyway, life is going to take me and bury me alive. I’ll die an excruciating death for harming you. But first, life will come up with a cruel way to punish me for my hubris…’

* * *

_Claude von Riegan invited you to ‘bitches who brunch’._

**Hosted by:** Ingrid Brandl Galatea

**When:** Saturday 24th Blue Sea Moon, 10.00 AM

**Where:** Bread in Common, 4/6 George Street

Come break bread with us on Claude’s 19th birthday!

**Going:** Balthus von Albrecht, Dorothea Arnault, Annette Dominic, Glenn Fraldarius, Sylvain Gautier, Holst Goneril, Hilda Valentine Goneril, Raphael Kirsten, Petra Macneary, Mercedes von Martritz, Dedue Molinaro, Lysithea von Ordelia, Leonie Pinelli, Ashe Ubert

**Maybe:** Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, Yuri Leclerc

**Not Going:** Byleth Eisner, Felix Fraldarius, Linhardt von Hevring, Edelgard von Hresvelg, Jeritza von Hrym

_Byleth_

No, it’s not because Sylvain’s going. I _can’t_ go because I finish work at 5am then start again at 9pm. I have to sleep! You’re just fishing. Go away, Claude.

_Edelgard_

Byleth won’t be there. Frankly, I don’t like anyone else. Whose side do you think I’m on, fool?! Fuck off and leave me in peace!

_Linhardt_

I can’t. I sleep in on Saturdays. I’m on Byleth’s side, but that has nothing to do with it. If you really wanted me there, it wouldn’t be at 10am.

_Felix_

Get out of my face, or I _will_ come there and I will kill you, your stick-in-the-mud girlfriend and all of your loser friends.

_Jeritza_

I don’t… brunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Your comments and kudos are always loved and appreciated!


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